Lovesick
by msalyssaefron
Summary: Troy Bolyton and Gabriella Montez never thought they would be anything more than just best friends. But when Gabriella is diagnosed with cancer, will Gabriella's future be cut too short? Will Troy reveal his feelings for her? TxG Full summary inside
1. Summary

**(Hey people! I'm officially starting my new and improved story, Lovesick! I know it might not be what you thought I had originally planned to write but if you read my last update on This Christmas, I said I was changing all my stories up so they're more fun for me to write and more interesting for you readers (and writers) to read. I'm definitely going to have better drama and romance and stuff like that so I'm going to make them a lot of fun. Ok so; this is my new story Lovesick. I was inspired by the Jonas episode 'Lovesick'. I absolutely loved that episode because Stella and Joe finally admitted their feelings towards each other. Mine is going to be a lot similar to that but there's going to be a little bit of a twist and a lot more to it obviously. I'm super excited to be starting a new story and I will update This Christmas this weekend, I promise. Ok here's the summary! Enjoy and **_**puh-lease**_** REVIEW!!!! Tell your friends to read my stories and REVIEW!!! Thnxs!!!)**

Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez, two A+ popular juniors, were born best friends (almost literally). They both live next to each other; they attend the same high school, and were even born in the same hospital. They know everything and anything there is to know about each other. Troy is captain of the Varsity Basketball team and Gabriella is president of the Scholastic Decathlon team. Ever since they became friends, they've promised each other that no matter what happens, their friendship would never change. Neither one of them have never gone out with anyone but this year it all changes. Gabriella notices that Scott Turner, a down-to-earth cute senior, has always seemed to take a liking in her and she realizes that she likes him. As they spend more time together, Gabriella finds herself wanting to be with him. The only problem is that she knows that if Troy finds out that how she feels about Scott, he'll freak because he's never really liked Scott whenever he wasn't around Gabriella. Soon, Scott asks her out and she says yes. She decides not to tell Troy but she knows she'll have to tell him at some point. Unfortunately, Troy finds out about this from Zeke and his head suddenly gets full of good and bad thoughts. He's somewhat happy that Gabriella has her first boyfriend ever but then deep inside; he can't help but feel sad that he wasn't Gabriella's first and only boyfriend. Troy has had a huge, secret crush on Gabriella since that first met but he's never told her because he's afraid of ruining their extremely close friendship. Everyone always says two best friends don't go together but Troy disagrees. As Troy can't be happier for Gabriella, she stops hanging out with him as much since she now has a boyfriend that takes away most of that time. Scott and Gabriella date for six months until things get in the way and Gabriella ends up getting her heart broken by Scott. The two break up and Troy is furious because he knew this would happen. Gabriella tries to talk to him about what happened but he wants to straight things out with Scott. Gabriella begs him not too and Troy eventually gives in. Troy and Gabriella don't hang out as much anymore and Gabriella starts to worry if their friendship will last any longer. Later, Gabriella receives some news that affects both her and Troy. Gabriella is diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Her condition gets worse rapidly and she finds herself needing Troy to help her cope. They get closer than they've ever been before and they both realize something they they've been blind to all along. Will Troy help her pull through before it's too late? Is Gabriella lovesick?

By the author that brought you 'This Christmas'

Coming October 2009


	2. Trailer

Lovesick

Trailer

(A/N: Hey, guys! So here's my trailer! I only do trailers because it helps me stay on track with my story so I mess it up if I were to forget something important. It's also just something for fun for you guys to visual, if you will so that's basically why I do trailers. Ok, so here's the trailer. I decided to change Gabriella's diagnosis to breast cancer because I found out that diabetes really aren't that bad. Enjoy and please, please review! Thanks!)

Disclaimer: I don't own HSM but I might own Zac Efron one day. :)

**Bold**-Narrator

_Italics_-Actions

Underline-Speech

**Troy Bolton; East High's hot popular basketball jock**

_Shows Troy walking through the walls of East High with his friends_

**Gabriella Montez; East High's beautiful smartest girl in school**

_Shows Gabriella conducting an experiment at the Scholastic Decathlon Club_

**Born best friends**

_Shows Troy and Gabriella shaking hands_

Troy: Hey, I'm Troy Bolton

Gabriella: I'm Gabriella, Gabriella Montez

_Shows Troy twirling Gabriella around_

Gabriella (giggling): Troy! You're so crazy!

Troy (smirks): That's what they say.

**They had a friendship that was definitely the definition of a true friendship**

_Shows Troy hugging Gabriella_

Troy: These hugs are only for my best girl

_Shows Gabriella giggling_

**Junior year of High School comes around and everything changes…**

_Shows Gabriella talking to Scott Turners in the hallway_

Scott: Do you want to go to dinner tonight?

Gabriella: Sure; I'd love too.

_Shows Troy walking in when Scott leans down and kisses Gabriella on the cheek_

**Jealousy starts to take over certain people**

_Shows Troy sitting on the bleachers in the gym_

Troy: I don't know why I get so jealous and nervous when Gabriella's around Scott

Chad: Maybe it's because Scott's a football player, you know he'll break Gabriella's heart like he's done to the past girlfriends he's had and you have feelings for your best friend.

_Shows Troy and Gabriella laying on their stomachs in the living room_

Gabriella: Troy, what does love feel like?

Troy: Everything love is capable of being.

**And make them change into a whole different person**

_Shows Gabriella running up to Troy, smiling_

Gabriella: Troy! Guess what? Scott asked me to be his girlfriend! Isn't that sweet?

Troy: Yeah; it's great. 

Gabriella: What's wrong?

Troy: Everything.

_Shows Troy slamming his locker shut and then walking away_

_Shows Scott and Gabriella sitting at a lunch table, kissing_

Scott: Do you want to come over tomorrow night after the game?

Gabriella (smiling): I'd love too.

_Shows Troy and Chad sitting on the bleachers_

Troy: Why do I feel like Scott's going to break Gabriella's heart?

Chad: Because he's done that to his past girlfriends, he's a football player, and you don't want Gabriella getting hurt because you have feeling for her. 

**And when you don't have someone to run to**

_Shows Troy glancing over at Gabriella from the other table_

Troy: Ever since you started dating that jerk, we haven't been talking or hanging out like we used too. 

Gabriella: Excuse me for falling in love for the first time. I thought you wanted me to fall in love?

Troy: Before I realized you were going to betray me like that.

_Shows Scott and Gabriella arguing _

Gabriella: What's that supposed to mean?

Scott: I guess it's just not going to work out.

**Everything falls apart**

_Shows Gabriella knocking on the door of the Troy's house_

Gabriella: Troy, I have to tell you something.

_Shows Gabriella in the hospital_

Gabriella: I don't want to die

Troy: It's gonna be okay.

**From the author who brought you 'This Christmas'**

Troy: Do you ever think we could be together?

Gabriella: Definitely.

_Shows Troy and Gabriella about to kiss_

**A story about falling in love with the one person who's always been there in your life**

_Shows Troy and Gabriella dancing_

**Zac Efron**

Troy: I need you more than ever.

**And Vanessa Hudgens**

Gabriella: Please don't leave me.

**Lovesick**

_Coming October 2009_

**(What do you think? Are you all excited to read it now? I've already played it all out in my head and I'll tell you that it's probably going to be my best stories yet. Please review! Thanks! And also, if there's any really good, like really, really good stories out there, tell me the names of them and who wrote them kk? Luv ya guys!)**


	3. Prologue

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's the Prologue to Lovesick! I can't wait to start writing this story! For so long, I've been waiting to write a story about Troy and Gabriella being best friends who end up falling in love and now I'm writing it. I hope you like it! Anyways, here's the Prologue! Enjoy!)**

As her heartbeat sped up again and again, she became weaker and weaker with every passing second. Her arms and legs were already giving out. The next thing was her heart.

She needed someone to save her. She needed her best friend.

She knew she was crazy for wanting him to save him and not the doctors but she had grow so close to him that she only needed to see his face to pull through all the weakness she was enduring.

He was her best friend and his name is Troy Bolton.

He was always there for her. Whenever she needed a helping hand, he was there. A shoulder to cry on, he was there. Even whenever she needed someone to fall in love with, he was there.

And this is the story about Troy Bolton and Gabriella fell deeply and forbiddenly in love with each other.


	4. Author's Note

**A/N: On Lovesick, I deleted the Prologue and put the Trailer before it and then put the Prologue in again so if you get an email that I added a new chapter, I added the Trailer and there's the same I just flipped the two around when I was updating.)**


	5. My Best Friend

**A/N: Here's the first chapter of Lovesick! I decided not to hand write a rough draft of it just because it takes me a long time to hand-write a chapter and then type it before I can update so hopefully if I just type it without writing a rough draft of it, I'll update a lot more. One more thing and then I'll stop talking; I'm starting to get writer's block with This Christmas and I knew it was going to happen so it could be a while before I update the next chapter. I'm sorry. Anyways, here's the first chapter! Hope you like it! Read and please review!)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HSM, sorry. I'm still working on stealing Zac Efron**…**in my dreams. **

Chapter-My best friend

17 year old, Gabriella Montez was waiting anxiously for her bags at the Albuquerque airport. She had just gotten back from summer vacation in Maui with her aunt, Patty, and was more than excited to finally be home and tell her best friends, Taylor, Kelsi, Sharpay all that she did there. That wasn't the only thing she was anxious for though. She also wanted to be in the comforting arms of her best friend, Troy Bolton. She had spent a month and a half away from him with a cell phone and IM to communicate. She didn't care though. Just as long as she got to see him and have him make her laugh, she was alright. She had been his best friend basically since they first met at the age of three. She doesn't even know how that could be possible but she remembered meeting him alright. The second she saw those ocean blue eyes, she saw a best friend in him. The both knew anything there was to know about each other, attended the same school, lived on the same street and both had a crush on the other. Of course; neither of them had told the other yet. Everyone always said how cute and perfect they were for each other but they just saw each other as best friends…for now.

Gabriella finally spotted her bags and quickly grabbed them from the baggage claim. She picked up her pace as she struggled to drag the three bags across the room over to the elevator. As she waited, she whipped out her env3 phone out of her pocket and checked her inbox. 1 new.

**Hey hija, where are you?** –Mom

**Taking the elevator down to the parking lot. Be there in a minute. **–Gabriella

**K; see ya in a few.** –Mom

Gabriella closed her phone shut and made her way from the elevator to the parking lot. She could see her mom waiting in the last row next to her black Lexus. "Hey mom!" Gabriella gave her mom a hug.

"Hey hija, how was your trip?"

"It was great! I can't wait to tell you about everything I did! I took lots of pictures." Her mom grabbed her bags and put them in the back before closing the trunk.

"I'm glad you had fun. Your friends kept asking me when you'd be back. One of them would ask more than others." They hopped in the car and after her mom started the car, she then pulled out of the parking lot.

"Really? I missed them all. Gabriella smiled.

_Especially Troy. _She thought.

She couldn't wait to miss him.

* * * *

Gabriella struggled to get the front door open with her hands full.

"Gosh, mom, why are all the lights off?" She finally got through the door reached for the main light. She slammed her hip into the mini coffee table next to the light.

"Shit!" She yelled.

"I heard that."

"Sorry." She muttered. "That's definitely gonna leave a mark in the morning." She mumbled again.

She finally got the light on and an eruption of cheers filled the room.

"SURPRISE!" All of her friends and close family cheered.

"Oh mi gosh!" Gabriella said, a little shocked at first but then extremely happy.

"Hey Gabriella! Welcome back!" Her best friends; Taylor McKessie and Kelsi Nielsen said happily, giving her a hug.

"Hey girls! I missed you guys!" She struggled to get her other arm around them with her hand occupied by one of her bags. The weight was soon gone as she looked over to see who had picked it up. Two tall African American guy; one with lighter skin then the other, smiled down at her.

"Hey Chad. Hey Zeke." She gave them both hugs.

"Hey, welcome back. Boy, am I glad you're finally back. Someone wouldn't stop talking about you. It gave me the worst headache." Chad complained.

Gabriella giggled and her eyes wandered around the room in search for a pair of ocean blue eyes.

"Looking for someone?" A sweet, angelic voice called from behind her.

Gabriella's heart sped up as she turned to meet the eyes of her best friend, Troy Bolton leaning against the doorframe. He was wearing and red and white baseball shirt with black skinny jeans, the color of jeans he always looked the best in.

"Troy." She went up and wrapped her arms around his waist. She felt his perfect arms encircle around her and slowly breathed in his scent.

"Mmm, I missed you." She breathed.

"I missed you too." Gabriella giggled.

"I know you missed me the most. Chad told me how you didn't stop talking about me the whole time I was gone." Troy laughed and she felt his vibration against her body, making her shudder at the feeling. She pulled away and gazed up into his blue eyes. She got a little 'lost' in his eyes and noticed a reddish-pink crawl up to his cheeks. She blushed furiously and looked away.

"Um, how was your trip?" Troy finally broke the silence.

"It was great. It would have been a lot better with you there." She smiled.

Troy smiled.

"Gabriella realized something and her eyes slightly widened. " That reminds me…I have something for you." She went into the other room and looked for her bags.

"Where are my bags?"

"In the living room." Gabriella heard her mom say and she nodded. When she reached the living room, she saw Sharpay Evans and her brother, Ryan, decorating a 'Welcome back' sign. Gabriella slightly giggled, causing Sharpay to whip her head up.

"Gabriella, what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be home yet."

"Hello to you too." She replied sarcastically and somewhat annoyingly.

"I'm sorry. I was told that you weren't going to be home until five. Clearly someone didn't get the _right_ message though." Sharpay sent glares towards Troy who was smiling.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the fun."

"Sharpay; thanks for the sign. I love it."

She hugged Sharpay who smiled.

"Welcome back and thanks."

"Hey Ryan."

"Hey Gabi; welcome back." She gave Ryan a hug and Troy frowned when a rush of jealousy hit him as the two hugged longer than he wanted them too.

"Gabriella, what about that gift you said you bought me?" Troy said it loud and clear; enough to get Gabriella to snap back to reality and pull away from Ryan."

"Sorry, hold on." Gabriella went over to her gift bag and pulled out a black bag.

"Here you go. I know it's not much but I had to get it for you." She sat down on the couch and Troy joined her. She watched as he opened the bag and his eyes lit up.

"No way! A Hawaiian Hasselbacks jersey! **(A/N: I made it up) **You know how much I've always wanted one of these. Thanks Brie!" Troy smiled and hugged her.

"You're welcome." She smiled slightly. Troy noticed by the slumping of her shoulders and her down face that something wasn't right.

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

"Brie…I can tell when something's wrong with my best friend. Now what's got you down?" He put an arm around her shoulder.

"Something happened in Maui."

Troy immediately tensed up. "What happened?"

"Well it wasn't really bad, I just…Scott Turners was there and we hung out most of the time I was there and well…one night he was little drunk but at the time he hadn't of drank that much….but then he kissed me….I didn't want you to know because I know how overprotective you are of me but I wanted you to know because you're my best friend. Whatever you do, _please_ don't try to beat him up. I'm sure he didn't mean it." Gabriella looked at him, waiting for something type of reaction.

"I want you to stay away from him. I'm going to talk to him."

"Oh, come one Troy. It was just a kiss. It's not like I enjoyed it. I'm fine; really."

Troy smiled slightly and grabbed her soft hands. "I'm just worried about you. First day of junior year starts tomorrow. I'm nervous about it."

"It's gonna be okay." Gabriella smiled.

"I'm glad we met. Promise we'll make this year one to remember?"

"Promise." Gabriella put her first out and the two did their goofy handshake and anticipated what was to come tomorrow.

But for these two best friends, they were about take one crazy ride full of love, jealousy, betrayal and redemption.

* * * *

**(What did you think? I thought the first chapter was cute. I'm a little nervous for this chapter. I'm usually not nervous about my story but this one is a strep up for me and I'm making this story my main focus so hopefully everything will go well. Please review! I have like 15 readers that put this story on their story alerts lit so I better get at least 15 reviews or I won't update the next chapter. Lol jk I'm not that mean. But please do review with good things ****AND**** bad things, if any. You guys are the ones that keep me updating with new stories so please review. I'll update the next chapter ASAP! Luv ya!)**

**Xo Alyssa**


	6. Quick Author's Note

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while since I've updated my stories. I've been super busy this whole weekend but I'm so relieved that we have Wednesday off. I'll finally have time to work on my story again. I'm also debating on whether I should another one-shot because it's been a while since I've done one. If I do, I want to do one based on one of Taylor Swift's songs because I absolutely love her but there's so many good songs that I can do a one-shot for but I can't decide so what song by Taylor Swift makes you think of Troyella? PM me back or reply in the reviews and let me know! Also, I;m going to post the second chapter to Lovesick up this week but before I do is there anything you want me to throw in there to make my chapters longer? Anything interesting, cute, you name it is fine! Let me know! Kk I'll update soon! Luv ya!


	7. Junior Year

Chapter 2

*Lovesick

**(A/N: Hey! Here's the second chapter! It's short but the next few chapters will be longer as I get into the story more. I hope you like it! And remember; please review! And one more thing; I'm so glad I have the number of readers I have for this story. I can't thank you guys enough for reading my stories. I have more than 20 readers so keep the readers coming!)**

Junior Year

"Are you sure this goes with my outfit? I don't want to go to school looking like lunatic that doesn't know how to match colors." Gabriella complained as she gazed in the mirror holding up a green tan top and a yellow tan top several times to see which one looked better with her pink skirt or if the orange tan top she had on was fine. Troy was sitting on the edge of her bed with his head in his hands.

"Troy? Are you even listening?" Gabriella turned around and put her hands on her hips, getting annoyed.

"It's fine. No one will even notice the slight difference in the colors. Just don't stress about it." Troy explained.

Gabriella stared at him before carelessly tossing the rest of the clothes in her closet. "Yeah 'cuz the first day of school isn't even important," She said sarcastically before grabbing her white and pink tote bag and started throwing random but things she needed for school stuff in it. "You know; you're a real pain in my –"

"Brie, I'm sorry," Troy cut her off. "I think your outfit is very brightly colored and it's a great first-day-of-school outfit. It's wonderful."

Gabriella looked at him suspiciously. "Behind those gorgeous blue eyes of yours, you probably didn't mean anything you just said." She pointed teasingly at him.

"Are you saying you _don't_ believe your best friend?"

"No…not at all." Gabriella paused. "You really think I can trust everything you say?"

Troy frowned. "Brie -"

"Troy; I was kidding," Gabriella smiled. "I would never, for a single doubt; not take your word for anything. I trust you."

Troy smiled. "Well that's what I want to hear. We should probably get going. We don't want to be late." Troy grabbed his gym bag and followed Gabriella out the door. Troy's Audi A4 was parked in the parking lot.

"Can I drive this time, please?" Gabriella pouted.

"No way. Last time I let you drive, my car ended up backed up into garbage can. _Clearly_ you don't know how to back up correctly."

"I'm sorry I'm not as perfect as you." Gabriella punched him playfully in the arm.

"Ow." Troy opened the car door for her and smiled.

"Thanks." Gabriella looked at him with her big brown eyes.

_Don't get carried away. _Troy told himself.

He tore his eyes away from her and climbed into the driver's seat. He could feel Gabriella's eyes on her and so he glanced over at her.

"Are you watching me?" Troy raised his eyebrow curiously.

Gabriella blushed. "Shut up!"

"So you were watching me? I know I look hot. Those cheerleaders can never resist me if they tried."

"Oh Troy; you're self-centered."

Troy smirked. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment."

"Ok you do that." Gabriella reached for the button on the stereo and 'You Belong With Me' played through the speakers. Gabriella suddenly felt little awkward because the lyrics to the song were exactly how she had been feeling about Troy but minus any girlfriend wearing short shirts or being a cheerleader. Troy didn't have a girlfriend but he would if he could see that she belonged to him.

Troy smiled and pulled into the parking lot of East High.

"Here we go. You ready?" Troy took a deep breath.

Gabriella took a deep breath too. "Yeah." They both stepped out of the car and took in the scene in front of them. There were students welcoming back the friends they haven't seen for three months. They had trendy clothes and welcome back gifts for all their best friends.

"Hey man, what's up?" Troy nodded to Chad.

"Nothing much just dreading having to be back in Ms. Darbus' homeroom…again."

"Aw man. That sucks."

"Dude, you're in her homeroom too."

"Yeah but I'm never on her bad side." Troy slapped him on the back before heading down the hall.

"Hey Taylor! How are you?" Gabriella said, giving her best friend a hug.

"I'm great! How are you?"

"I'm great," She looked around. "Wow, I can't believe we're already juniors. It's gone by so fast!" They both started walking to their lockers, stopping occasionally to greet their friends.

"I know right? Two more years and we'll be moving into our new college dorms." Gabriella thought about where she would be in two years. Images of Troy in a black tuxedo at a wedding, ready to vow to spending the rest of his life with her made her smile and shiver at the same time.

"Yeah. Have you heard from Yale yet?" Gabriella stopped at her locker, opened it and organized all her books around before closing it.

"No, not yet. Have you heard from Stanford?" They walked around to Taylor's locker which was a few lockers down from Troy and Chad's. Gabriella glanced over at Troy who was messing around with Chad and Zeke.

"Yeah I have. Earlier than I thought."

"Well did you accept?"

"No." Gabriella paused. "I think I'm going to apply to Berkeley with Troy."

Taylor stared at her in disbelief. "What? Why? Stanford is the college you've always dreamed to go too. You can't just not go. Look; I know you and Troy have been there for each other since you two met but you might need to think about letting him go. He'll understand."

Gabriella thought about she would be giving up for her best friend. She glanced over at him again, smiling.

He glanced over at her and smiled. "Yeah I know. I don't want to let him go though. He means too much to me."

Gabriella heard Taylor's locker shut but her eyes still lingered no Troy who was still looking at her. He started walking towards her, shaking his shaggy brown hair out of his face. Gabriella couldn't help but smile at how hot her best friend was and how deeply in love she was with him. She was so distracted that she didn't know that she was absentmindedly backing up as Troy walked closer to her but was really still far away. She backed up into someone and heard books fall to the ground with a loud crash.

"Oh my gosh; I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to-" Gabriella turned around and a bright smile spread across her face.

"Gabriella! Hey!" Scott Turner exclaimed.

"Hey Scott! How are you?" He bent down and started picking up the books that had fallen on the ground.

"I'm great. Here; let me help you with that." Gabriella helped him pick up his books.

"You know; I would of thought I'd run into you and you'd drop your books. This is the different book-dropping kind." Scott stood up.

Gabrielle giggled and looked across his features. He was almost a blonde-haired version of Chace Crawford with hazel eyes instead of blue. He had muscles like Troy and an irresistible smile. He was also captain of the football team. He was absolutely dazzling.

"Yeah. So maybe we'll see each other soon. I hope I have some classes with you." Gabriella said and smiled.

A sarcastic laugh came from behind them.

"Look who it is. I can't wait to have to deal with you in gym class again this year, Turner." Troy said sarcastically, making this way next to Gabriella who was now glaring at him for obviously ruining the moment.

"Troy." She said.

"Neither can I, Bolton," Scott turned to Troy and glared at him. "You better watch your back this year. I'm in charge now."

"In your dreams." Troy's eyes turned black; a sign that he was getting mad.

"Ok, stop it both of you. There's no use fighting. Come on Troy," Gabriella said, pulling Troy. "I'll see you later Scott." Gabriella smiled.

"You too." Scott smiled and his right eyelid came down in a wink when he sure Gabriella was still looking.

_Deal with that, Bolton. _Scott muttered.

Troy glared at him one more time before turning around.

This was going to an interesting year for the three; an interesting junior year.

* * * *

**(A/N: What did you think? Pretty good huh? Again, the chapter was short but they will be longer as the story goes along. In the next chapter, it's going to be about Scott and Gabriella's friendship and how it starts to turn into something more. It's also going to be about Troy's jealousy towards them being friends. I'll update soon I promise! Please review! Luv ya guys!)**

**xoxo Alyssa**


	8. Complicated Friendship

Chapter 3

*Lovesick

**(Hello readers! The next chapter's up for Lovesick! Before you start reading I just want to let you guys know that I will have the next chapter to this story up as soon as I have a chance too. I know it's break and I promised I'd update a lot more but the next few days for me are going to be a little hard since it's the week of Christmas. I will try my best to take some time and get the next chapter updated though. Also; I think I'm going to do another one-shot based off of a song. And that song is going to be (drum roll)…You Belong With Me. I love, love Taylor Swift and her music so I'm going to be doing a one-shot based on her song. I'll also get that one up ASAP. One more thing; since it's Christmas again, I really need to get This Christmas updated. Ever since I started my new story I've been working on it nonsense and I need to set aside time to work on This Christmas because the more I don't work on it, the less I want to finish it so I can't keep it hanging much longer. So expect a new chapter to This Christmas, Lovesick, and maybe the one-shot by mid next week. Ok; please review and enjoy!)**

Complicated Friendship

"Good practice today guys! Keep it up and you might kick some butt at Friday's game." Coach Bolton shouted as the East High Wildcats left to go change in the locker rooms. Troy stayed behind and shot some baskets.

"Hey man; you coming?" Chad asked, wiping his sweaty forehead with a towel. Troy grabbed the basketball that had bounced off the net.

"Nah. I'll catch up with you later. I'll gonna shot some hoops." Chad nodded and walked off. Troy shot another basket but it hit the rim again.

_Dang it. _Troy muttered. He took a seat on the bleachers and stared at the basketball hoop. Ever since the incident with Gabriella and Scott, he hadn't been able to confront her and tell her that it was stupid of him to have caused a scene like that. He thought back at an incident back in eighth grade when he read Gabriella's diary that he found hidden in her room and then accidentally let Chad and Zeke read it which resulted in Ryan reading it and Gabriella never wanting to talk to him again. Of course she got over it after a day and a half but it still made Troy feel guilty of even thinking about reading his best friend's diary…

***Flashback***

"So is 2 the slope of y=2x+4?" A fourteen year old Troy Bolton asked.

"Um yea. Haven't I told you that already?" Gabriella repeated. The two were sitting on Gabriella's bed, working on Algebra homework. Troy never really needed help; he just needed an excuse to see her.

"Uh, my brain hurts too much to remember." Troy complained reluctantly, throwing his pencil down and rolling on his back. He had spent three hours at her house and she didn't seem to mind.

"Troy, it takes me three minutes to solve five problems. You're not even done with two," Gabriella got up and went to the bathroom. "I gotta get in the shower. I'll be out in a second. Don't even _think_ about looking through anything." Gabriella warned before shutting the door behind her.

_I wonder if she has a diary…_Troy thought, completely oblivious to what Gabriella had just said. He hoisted himself up on one arm and looked under pillows. Bingo.

A pink fuzzy notebook with pictures of lock and the words 'Don't Even Think About It' scattered throughout the whole front page. He guessed this was her diary. A mischievous grin played across his face as he ushered the book open. He landed on a page titled 'Ew'. He read the first sentence, eager to read the next.

_Ok, you won't believe the dream I had last night. It was about Troy. I've had dreams about him before but this one was different. It was uh, a dream about, um, sex. I mean I'm almost fifteen! And Troy's my best friend! In this dream, I was in his room and he came in and sat down on the bed. Then he said something to me and took off his shirt. I have no idea what I was doing at his house anyway. I remember me glancing at the clock beside the bed and it read 3:03am. What in the world was I doing at his house that early in the morning!? Anyways, I guess I got caught up in the moment because I kissed him. He kissed me back and then he kissed my neck and then, for whatever crazy reason, he kissed my stomach. And then other stuff happened….stuff I'd rather not explain. I don't think about Troy that way! I never would! It's just so…ew. Maybe he feels that way about me but I sure don't._

Troy read what it said over and over again; shocked to even say anything. "She had a dream that we were having sex?" Troy mumbled to himself. The thought of that made him shiver. He had to tell the guys about this. Troy felt his risky side start to kick in but he just couldn't resist. First, he just had to find a way to…

"Troy?" Gabriella suddenly called from the bathroom.

_Crap! _Troy fumbled with the notebook before shoving it deep in the pocket of his gym bag. Hopefully she wouldn't notice it's missing.

"Y-yeah?" Troy sat down on her bed, trying to look casual.

"Can you hand me that purple towel that's on the top of my dresser?"

"Uh yeah. Sure." Troy looked around and spotted the towel. He walked over to the door of the bathroom and knocked on it.

"Thanks Troy." Gabriella cooed as Troy saw her hand reach out and grab the towel.

A few seconds later, she came out with a towel wrapped around her. Troy didn't realize it until he turned around. When he did, he just stood there, practically drooling.

"What?" Gabriella demanded self-consciously; pulling her towel further up her chest.

"Oh um, nothing." Troy tore his eyes away from her and sat down on the edge of her bed again. His eyes followed her across the room and back again until she went back into the bathroom again. Troy finally started breathing again.

He needed to get that thought of her out of his head but was failing miserably. Why did his best friend have to be so freakin' gorgeous?

* * * *

"Hey dude; check this out. It's Gabriella's diary." Troy said to Chad as they stopped next to their lockers the next day. He knew that what he was doing was going to cost him many days of Gabriella becoming his enemy and many awkward glances while passing each other in the hallways but it was too good to pass up. He just hoped Chad was the only one who would read it.

Oh no way? Let me see." Chad grabbed the notebook away from Troy and flipped though the pages. He landed on the same page that caught Troy's attention.

"Oh dude no way?" Chad repeated. "Let Zeke read it." Chad went over to Zeke.

"Wait, wait." Troy tried to stop him but it was too late. Zeke was already reading it and laughing.

_Shit!_ Troy panicked. He was dead. He was so dead.

Everything got worse when Ryan walked by.

Hey yo Ryan. Your little crush had a dream about Troy but none about you. Guess she doesn't feel that way about you." Zeke teased, laughing.

Ryan looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Here, read it." Chad gave the notebook to him. Ryan scanned the page; his heart falling as he read this. Gabriella suddenly came in and looked at what was going on.

"Hey, what's going on?" Gabriella asked. She creased her eyebrows when she saw Ryan glaring at her. He went over and shoved the notebook into Chad's hands who then gave it to Gabriella. As soon as she got it, her eyes turned a very dark brown; very close to black. She was pissed at someone and knew exactly who.

"Troy!?" Gabriella fumed, walking over to him. "What the hell did you do?"

"I, uh, took your diary and I was gonna put it back but then Chad saw and yeah. I'm really sorry."

"Who in their right mind would even think about showing their _best_ friend's diary to anyone? Are you out of your mind? You know how I feel about Ryan, Troy. I can't believe you let him read my diary. What did you let him read? What did you read?" Gabriella shifted impatiently on her feet.

"I don't know. I gave it to Chad and then he gave it to Ryan."

"It wasn't supposed to go to anyone!" She paused. "You let him read the one about my dream because you read it didn't you?"

Troy struggled to say something but she cut him off.

"You're joking right? You know what; I never want to talk to you again. Ever. Don't even bother IMing me either." Gabriella huffed and stomped away.

"Gabriella, wait," Troy called after her but she just ignored him.

He would never be forgiven for that.

***End of Flashback* **

Troy found himself back in reality as the gym doors slammed close.

It was Gabriella.

Troy stood up, half-smiled at her, and braced himself for what was about to come pouring out of his best friend's mouth.

"Troy, we need to talk." Gabriella stated.

"I'm listening." Troy replied, sounding irritated. This didn't go unnoticed by her.

"What is your problem Troy? I mean seriously. You ruin a moment I was having with Scott and now you don't want to deal with me? Is there something I'm missing?" Gabriella stood there, waiting.

Troy took a deep breath and decided to play it hard. "Nothing. No." He took the basketball in his hands and shot a basket from where he was standing. 1 point.

"Troy, this isn't going away. I need more than just two-word answers."

"Fine. I'm sorry I ruined your 'moment' with Scott. Last time I checked you got to spend a whole summer with him. That wasn't enough?"

"Oh and last time I checked there hasn't been any improvement in this ridiculous grudge you two have against each other. What do you have against each other anyways?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are you acting like I don't know you?" Point taken.

"Because-"

"Because you're jealous right?" Troy looked at her, forcing himself to think otherwise but was unsuccessful. They both knew it was true. "Why are you so jealous of me being with Scott? You're my best friend. You're not supposed to be jealous."

"I'm not jealous I'm just scared he's gonna break your heart. You know how he's treated his past friends. He's got them thinking he loves them but in the end always says it was never love for him. It was always just the lust and you know exactly what I mean when I say that." Troy's expression was serious. "Gabriella, I don't want you to end up like those girls. I want what's best for you." Troy looked deep into her brown eyes and could of swore he saw a flash of forgiveness but it was probably just his imagination.

Gabriella's eyes softened a little. "Well I appreciate that you're concerned about me but I think I'll be fine. Scott's a nice guy; he'd never do that. None of that stuff is probably true. I'm sure you heard it from people who think they know what they're talking about."

"Bu it could be true." Troy stood his ground. Even though Gabriella was his best friend he wasn't going to let her words blow him over like a weak tree in the ground.

Gabriella's eyes turned back to their dark color. "Well when you find out let me know. I have to go." She turned on her heels and walked away, the door slamming behind her.

* * * *

Gabriella slid her books in her locker before heading out the door and was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Gabriella, hey," She turned around and saw Scott making his way towards her.

"Hey Scott. What's up?" She smiled, happy to finally be alone with him even if for a short while.

"Nothing just about to leave. I just got out from football practice. What are you doing here so late?" Scott casually leaned against the locker.

"Oh, I was just leaving a Scholastic Decathlon meeting." She lied. It wasn't worth bringing up her discussion with Troy; for she was areas mad at him for trying to bring her down like that.

"Ah of course. Hey, I was wondering; my dad owns this new restaurant in town called La Italiana and I wanted to know id you'd be interested in going with me. It's not necessarily a date just two people getting to know each other better."

Gabriella giggled. "I'd love too. And when you say two people getting to know each other you know you mean a date right?"

Scott laughed. "If that's what you want to think it is then that's fine with me." Gabriella smiled. She could get used to this.

"Ok so Friday after the basketball game? We can hang at the after party for a little if you want."

"Uh yeah sure."

"Ok. I'll give you a ride to the party and then to the restaurant too if you'd like."

"No I'm good but thank you. I'll just meet you at the party but a ride to the restaurant would be perfect."

"Alight; we're all set then." Scott pushed himself off the locker.

"Alright, see ya." Gabriella smiled as she watched him disappear down out the door.

If only Troy could see that Scott wasn't the guy to break hearts. If only Gabriella could see the truth behind Scott's hazel eyes.

* * * *

**(A/N: What did you think? I personally liked this chapter. I liked it because it got into more of Troy and Gabriella's friendship and the complicated side of it. And also Scott and Gabriella's relationship is mentioned more as well. I'm not saying I necessarily like Scott and Gabriella being together and Troy being mad all the time because of it but more of how they are with each other. Trust me; this is all going to lead up to what happens next so please bear with me. Expect the next chapter to focus mainly on Scott and also him and Gabriella's first date. Please, please review! I'll update soon! Luv ya!)**


	9. Scott

Lovesick

*Chapter 4

**(Hey guys, here's the next chapter. Sorry it's been a while since I've updated. I've been extremely busy but hopefully I'll be able to update more. I have some bad news about This Christmas. I don't think I'll be finishing it. I haven't worked on it in a long time and I've just lost interest in it. I'm really sorry guys. But on the bright side I will be updating Lovesick a lot more and do some more one-shots. I'm thinking about starting a new story I had in mind but that won't be until a little bit later. Ok well hope you enjoy it. Review please!)**

Scott

"Stop staring. You're starting to drool." Chad snapped, getting Troy's attention. Troy was staring at Gabriella who was talking to Taylor and Kelsi. She was wearing a light blue blouse and a jeans skirt. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and it was tossing around every time she laughed at something. It was a moment of awe for Troy. He was falling – hard – for his best friend.

Gabriella glanced over and smiled at Troy. Her brown eyes twinkled, just like they had before and Troy couldn't help but smile back. She was beautiful. She must have sensed the gesture for her to come over because she quickly said goodbye to her friends and said goodbye to her friends and skipped over to him. "Hey Troy." Gabriella greeted him with a warm hug. Troy breathed in her sweet vanilla and crème scent.

"Hey," Troy replied, shaking his head in confusion. "This may sound a little rude but I thought you were mad at me?"

Gabriella smiled. "Well I thought about it and realized that maybe I was a little too harsh. Having you as a best friend means accepting your opinions and I can accept that you might not think Scott's the best guy." They slowly started making their way to class.

"Hmm well that's good to know that you're not mad at me anymore. I'm sorry if I made you mad. I was a little too harsh on you too."

"It's okay. I couldn't stay mad at you forever. I have to have someone to bother." She nudged him lightly.

"Haha right."

"So guess what?"

Troy thought for a second. "Hmm I don't know. You know how to do the jerk?"

"Haha no silly. Scott asked me out on a date and I said yes. This is my first official date." Gabriella explained excitedly.

"Really? That's great! I'm so happy for you. And I mean that." Troy looked into her eyes even though deep down he wished that was him how had asked her out on a first date.

"Thanks. So do you want to come over and hang out for a little bit while I find someone to wear?"

"Yeah sure but only if you come to my game and after-party."

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Troy smiled. "Ok see ya then."

"Ok bye Troy." Gabriella smiled and walked to physics class.

As she set her books down on the table, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Hey." She looked up to see Scott smiling down at her.

"Hey, how are you?"

"I'm great. It's our first home game and I'm sure we're gonna kick some butt tonight. And it's also my first date with you," He smiled widely. "You still up for tonight?"

Gabriella snapped out of her thoughts. "Uh yeah. I can't wait."

"Ok cool." Just as Scott finished his sentence the teacher called everyone to take their seats. Scott smiled once more before making his way to the front of the room where his seat was. Behind Gabriella, Taylor kicked her foot softly to get her attention. Gabriella turned around in confusion.

"What?" She mouthed.

"You and Scott. Why wasn't I informed?"

Gabriella smiled. "I'll tell you later." She then turned her attention back to the front and smiled.

* * * *

"So you and Scott huh?" Taylor inquired, closing her locker shut and walking with Gabriella down the crowded hallway.

"Well not really. It's just a date."

"Yeah but he seems to be really interested in you." Gabriella raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

"But not in that way. He's a nice guy."

"Well what does Troy think of it? Is he cool with it?"

"Yeah I guess you can say so." They turned the corner to the lunch area. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well he seems like it's no big deal even though the other day we were fighting about how Scott's not a 'good' guy. Maybe he realized he's not as selfish as people think."

"Well I wouldn't always count on that. Scott's Scott. You can never tell what he's gonna do. He could try to seduce you, you know. He is a senior."

"Yeah but I doubt he'd do that."

"And all those stories you've heard about him have told you otherwise?" Gabriella stopped, considering this.

"Look; Taylor, if I thought Scott wasn't a nice guy then I wouldn't be going to on my first date with him. So can you try to not be like everybody else and tear me down like that?" She walked away, angry.

"Gabriella," Taylor called but she ignored her. "Great." She mumbled before walking off.

When Gabriella got home, her mom was in the kitchen cleaning the counters.

"Hey mom." She said, tossing her backpack on the table and sitting down in the chair.

"Hey. How was your day at school?"

"Mmm it was good."

"That's good. Anything you want to tell me?"

"Nope."

"Nothing about tonight?" Gabriella looked up suspiciously.

"No?"

"How about that date you have?"

"Wait, how did you-" Before she could finish she turned around when she heard someone clear their throat.

"Well are you just gonna stay there all day or are we going to hang out?" Troy stood there in the doorway, leaning against the wall with that sly, crooked smile that almost made Gabriella fall to pieces.

"Hey." She ran up and gave him a hug. "What are you doing here?" She smiled, pulling back.

"Well I have to leave at 4:30 to go get ready for the game. You know my dad; every team member must be there two hours prior to the game."

Gabriella giggled. "Well at least we have an hour to kill. Come on." She pulled him by the hand and they went upstairs.

* * * *

"So what about the green blouse and the white skirt? What do guys appeal to the most?"

"Nothing really." Troy smirked.

"Ugh Troy! You're disgusting." She threw a sock at him.

"Well it's true."

"Whatever." She went back to her clothes and riffled through them, still mumbling to herself.

After an hour of laughing, throwing socks and just hanging out, Troy stood up and grabbed his keys.

"Brie, sorry but I gotta go."

Gabriella frowned. _We were having so fun though._ "Ok thanks for coming over. It was fun."

Troy smiled. "Yeah no problem. So I'll see you later?"

"Definitely."

Troy opened her bedroom door. "Ok. See you at the game."

"Okay bye." Gabriella called as she watched Troy go downstairs, said goodbye to her mom and leave. She sighed. _Now where's that white dress I bought?_ She turned back to her room and got ready for tonight.

* * * *

"Timeout!" Coach Bolton called and he signaled for the team to come in.

"Alright boys we're doin' great. All we need is another two points and we win. We only got 30 seconds left. What's the plan captain?" The team looked at Troy.

"Chad, you get offense. Zeke and Jason defense then block me. I got the basket."

The team nodded. "Okay on three," Chad said. "One, two, three."

"Wildcats!"

The Wildcats went to their positions on the court. Troy was handed the ball and he took a deep breath. On the sidelines, Scott glared at Troy. Scott was injured earlier in the game. He sprained his ankle badly but he said he was fine. Troy said he should stay out for the rest of the game and so the coach made him. Troy took a deep breath again and started dribbling the ball. He did his signature 'fake right break left' and passed two of his opponents. As he neared the half court line with 10 seconds to spare, another opponent came up and Troy was in trouble. He quickly passed it to Chad who; had luckily been close enough to catch it, turned and shot the basket. It rolled around the rim twice before making it in. The crowd erupted with cheers and the Wildcats picked up Troy. He looked around the bleachers with gleaming eyes and locked eyes with Gabriella. She smiled as he winked at her. "Good game." She mouthed, making Troy smile.

"Yo Bolton. Great game tonight. Go Wildcats!" Wildcat team player, Bobby Reed congratulated, giving Troy a high five.

"Yeah, go Wildcats." Troy said, returning the favor. He looked around the room. The after-party was already in full swing. It seemed like the entire student body was there. Troy's parents were gone for the night which meant he could finally chill. Over by the island bar, Chad and Taylor sat, making small talk.

"Hey man, what's up?" Troy greeted Chad.

"Nothing much. Greta game out there." Chad gave him a high five.

"Thanks man," He turned to Taylor. "Hey Taylor, have you seen Gabriella anywhere?"

"Uh no I haven't. I saw her earlier at the game. Sorry."

"Nah, it's ok. I'll find her. Thanks." Troy looked around again, scanning the crowd of people. As her turned again he was engulfed in a big hug. He smiled, knowing exactly who it was.

"Brie, I was just looking for you." Troy said. He stopped and looked at her. "Wow, you look…um…you look beautiful." Gabriella giggled and felt a blush creep up onto her cheeks. She had on a beautiful white dress with black on the bottom. Her hair was pulled up in a bun with a few hair strands were near her face. She had on the lightest shade of pink lip gloss.

"You look amazing." He repeated again and Gabriella blushed.

There was an awkward silence.

Gabriella finally broke the silence. "So, um, great game tonight. I heard Scott wasn't too happy about sitting out."

Troy frowned. "Yeah. He sprained his ankle but still wanted to play. I disagreed and I'm sure he's gonna kill me now."

"He'll get over it I'm sure. I'm glad to see how you're dealing with it. I really appreciate it." Troy smiled.

"Yeah." He agreed but as Scott mad his way over to them, Troy's mood turned to protectiveness.

"Hey Gabriella." Scott said, smiling at her.

"Hey Scott."

Another awkward silence. "Um we should probably get going now. I have our seats reserved." Scot suggested, taking Gabriella's hand. Troy noticed this and glared at Scott.

"Okay," She said softly, noticing the sudden tension between the two. "Hold on a second Scott I'll right out."

"Okay." He let go of her hand and walked out to the car.

"Troy, what the hell was that?"

"I'm sorry. He was holding your hand in front of me. Just to make me jealous." Gabriella looked at him.

"And?"

"Nevermind. I'm just a little worried about the date that's all. I still have my doubts about him."

She ran a hand through her hair. "I thought we had gone over this," She sighed. "Can you at least be polite next time?"

Troy nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry. Have fun ok?"

"She smiled weakly. "Ok I will. Thanks Troy."

"Yeah."

"See you later." She waved and smiled. Troy waved back and watched his best friend leave out the door.

Troy hoped that even after her first date with Scott, she would realize who Scott really was.

* * * *

**A/N: What'd you think? Good chapter huh? Things are starting to move along now. Please, please, please review. Your reviews are the reasons I keep going with these stories and your support is amazing. Thanks so much. The next chapter, which is about the date, will be up soon. Luv ya! :)**


	10. First Date

**Hey guys, I'm back again. Here's the next chapter. I only got four reviews for the last chapter. Is my story too boring? I would be really happy if you guys would review more, it means a lot to me. Even if it's just one word. Please, please, please review. Your ideas and suggestions will make my story better too so please review. I promise you that this story will start getting better. I was able to collect all my ideas for the next few chapters so my updates should start being more often! Ok enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own Zac Efron or anything associated with High School Musical. *sigh***

Chapter 5-First Date

"Oh mi gosh, Scott. I love this restaurant!" Gabriella squealed as Scott politely opened the door for her. She smiled at him, feeling her heart flutter when she saw him smile back at her. They were greeted by one of the waitresses.

"Hello. How many?"

"I made a reservation for two. It should be under Turner." Scott said, glancing over at Gabriella and flashing a brief smile.

"Ok right this way," The waitress led them to the back of the restaurant and to a private booth. "Ok here's your table. I'll send someone to be with you in a moment. Can I get you two something to drink?"

"Uh yeah, I'll have Coke." Scott replied.

"Raspberry iced tea for me." Gabriella smiled politely.

"Ok." Scott smiled as the waitress walked away. He looked at Gabriella who was quietly sitting there.

"So Gabriella, you look amazing." He complimented with a wink.

Gabriella blushed. "Thank you. This is really sweet of you, Scott. How'd you know Olive Garden was my favorite restaurant?"

"I have my ways." He teased.

Gabriella giggled. "So how's your schedule and everything?"

"It's great. I'm still holding up on basketball. I think it's my last year though." Scott explained.

"Really? How come?" Gabriella asked curiously. The waitress came with their drinks.

"Well it's not really my thing. My dad insisted that I play basketball since he had played basketball his entire high school year. So I did what made him proud."

Gabriella looked at him intently. "What do you really want to do?"

"I don't know. All I know is that I don't want to waste my life doing something I don't enjoy," He lifted his gaze up to her. "What about you?"

"I want to go to Stanford University to be a lawyer. That's always been my dream."

"Impressive. You know, you'd be a hot lawyer, that's for sure." Gabriella giggled. She could be a lawyer at Stanford if she really wanted too. But she had different dreams now. She wanted to stay close to Troy, even if that meant giving up her only life-long dream.

A few minutes later, their waitress came to take their order. After another 15 minutes, their food arrived and they started to eat.

As soon as Scott and Gabriella finished eating, Scott paid for the check and they left. Scott drove down to the ice cream shop and bought her ice cream. They then drove down to the park where they sat looking at the stars and the moon.

"Wow, I never realized how amazing the sky looked at night." Gabriella confessed.

"Yeah. My brother and I used to have a race to see who could find the most constellations. My brother always won."

Gabriella's eyebrows narrowed in confusion. "You have a brother?"

Scott sighed. "Used too. He died when he was 18. Motorcycle accident."

"Scott, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize –"

"It's okay. You didn't know."

Gabriella looked down. "I lost my dad when I was four. He died of cancer. It runs in the family. My grandma died from breast cancer last year."

"I'm really sorry Gabriella. That must have been hard for you."

"Yeah it was. It still is. I loved my dad and my grandma so much. I used to be such a daddy's girl. It's hard to believe I'll be graduating in a few years."

"Yeah," There was an awkward silence. "So you and Troy have been friends for a long time."

"Yeah. We've known as other since we were three. We were both babysat by the same person. I used to think Troy was one of those kids that didn't get along in the sandbox. But then one of the kids pushed me and believe it or not, Troy was the one who came running. The kid left the daycare with a black eye and I left with a best friend's hand to hold. Now Troy knows me more than anyone."

"More than me?"

"You know a lot about me too," Gabriella looked up at him and saw that that wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. "Look, Scott, I know you don't like Troy. He just cares about me a lot. Isn't that what friends do?"

Scott shrugged reluctantly. "I guess," He gently grabbed her hand. "I just don't want him to get in the way of us. You can be with other people."

"But Troy –"

"I really like you Gabriella. I know we've only know each other for a few months but I really do like you. You're smart, funny, beautiful, and probably the nicest girl I've ever met. All those people that say I'm trouble don't know anything. I'd never hurt you." He tucked a stray curl behind her ear. Gabriella could feel her heart fluttered as he leaned in to kiss her. She slowly closed her eyes and did the same thing. She expected it to be short, but not too short that she'd forget about the kiss. It was simple, yet sweet. She could feel his warm hand on her warm cheek. He smelt like a cool, morning breeze. She'd never forget her first kiss. After a few more seconds, Scott pulled back and looked at her, making her blush.

"That was, uh…nice." She fumbled for the right words.

"It was. We should probably get going though. Come on." Scott grabbed her hand and helped her up. Once she was on her feet, he gently slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

Troy as outside shooting hoops because he had nothing better to do. Chad was at home, too tired to shot hoops with him, Gabriella was too busy with her new 'friend' to care, and his dad was being, well, his dad. Troy hated it when no one was around to hang out with him.

He dribbled the ball a few times before running up to the basketball and shooting his signature move, a right-handed lay-up. He missed. He gave up and went to go sit down on the grass so he could catch his breath. His mind wandered to Gabriella and he soon felt a pang in his heart. As much as Troy loved her, he couldn't see her get hurt. He knew Scott. He was playing her. Ever since Gabriella had told him about the incident over the summer, he knew that that was just the start. It was the same thing that happened to Chelsea Miller. She was a sophomore last year when she met Scott. They spent the whole summer together up until school started and they became the school's "it" couple. Like Gabriella, Chelsea was innocent and vulnerable. She didn't know what she was getting herself into. She just knew that had fallen head-over-heels with the hottest guy in school. Scott took her on romantic dates, parties, and games. He drove her to school every morning and walked her home every afternoon. Soon, their relationship became more intense. They started leaving parties early, spending more time at each other's houses, and being alone with each other more often. By the time their 6-month anniversary rolled around, Scott took Chelsea to the biggest party of the year, purposely got her drunk, and slept with her. He broke up with her that week because she "didn't satisfy his needs". It made Troy sick. He would not let him do that to Gabriella. If that meant crashing her love life, then so be it.

Troy was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of laughter. Laughter that used to be caused by him. He looked up and saw Gabriella holding Scott's hand as they walked across the street. As they got closer, he could hear them talking. He watched intently as Gabriella turned to Scott and smiled. He heard her say "Thank you" in a hushed voice. Troy's hands curled into fists as he saw Scott kiss Gabriella for what seemed like eternity. He was watching his own best friend fall in love with some jerk that didn't even care about her at all. It would've taken Troy only three seconds to walk over and give him a black eye before telling him to go to hell. He didn't though. He wasn't about to snap right in front of the girl that had a heart so fragile. Troy took a deep breath and watched as Gabriella gave Scott one last kiss before walking up the steps and going inside. Scott stood there for another second before walking back to his car and pulling away.

"I can't believe you two kissed! Three times! Is he a good kisser?" Taylor asked the next day as she walked with Gabriella to the lunch area. After finding their spot at the lunch tables, Gabriella sat down and smiled over at Taylor.

"Scott's an excellent kisser," Gabriella gushed. "He took me to my favorite restaurant too."

"Wow. I don't know how he does it. Just be careful, okay? He might not be who you think he is."

"He's changed…and I'm going to trust him." Taylor was about to reply but then she saw Troy making his way over to the table with his hands in his pockets. It was a sign that he was worried about something.

"Hey Troy, how are you?"

"I'm good. How was your date?"

"It was amazing."

"That's good," There was an awkward silence and then Troy spoke up again. "Can I talk to you for second?"

"Sure," Gabriella got up and walked over to the hallway. "What's up?"

Troy shoved his hands in his pockets again. "I'm worried about you and Scott. I know that you're in love with him but trust me on this that things might not turn out too well between you two. Will you promise me to just make sure you're watching the things he's doing? I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Troy," Gabriella pleaded.

"Please, Gabriella, I need you to promise me."

Before Gabriella could reply, Troy heard someone familiar voice from behind them.

"Hey Gabriella," Troy turned to see Scott smiling as he walked up to Gabriella. "I thought I'd find you here. Can we talk?" He flashed Troy a dark look.

"Uh sure," She turned back to Troy who stood there awkwardly. "Troy, I don't know. I can't do this right now. I'm sorry. I'll talk to you later or something." She turned and walked with Scott. Troy stood there, dumbfounded, that Gabriella couldn't say yes just this once.

"Where are you taking me?" Gabriella giggled as she followed Scott up a stairwell. When they reached the top, Gabriella's smile faded when she realized that she'd been here before. It was her and Troy's secret hideout. Troy only wanted her to know about it. She wasn't about to run the moment though.

Scott sat down on the bench and gestured for her to join him. Gabriella sat down and smiled. "Last night was great. You're such an amazing girl and I want to have a shot at this. So I'm just going to say it," Gabriella held her breath, waiting for Scott to say the words that she's been wanting to hear. They were the words that would change the rest of her life with one answer. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

**What did you guys think? My first cliff hanger! Yay! I know you all hate cliff hangers but it's to keep the whole effect going for the story. I'll have the next chapter up soon. I have more time to work on my story now (thank goodness!) so I'll start updating more. Remember to review! Ideas are welcomed and encouraged! Ly!**

**-Alyssa**


	11. New Changes

Chapter 6

*Lovesick

**A/N: Hey readers! Here is the next chapter. Since it's the summer and I **_**finally **_**have time to update a lot more, I've got two updates for you! I've updated Chapter 6 **_**and**_** Chapter 7 for all you lovely readers! Might I add that Chapter 6 happens to be one of my favorite chapters so far. : ) I also would like to thank one of my readers (you know who you are) for pointing out to me in Chapter 5 there were a part in the story where Taylor and Gabriella were talking about hearing from colleges even though they're still juniors in high school. In high school, you get college acceptance letters after winter break as a senior so just to clear up the confusion, Taylor and Gabriella (along with the rest of the characters) are all thinking about the colleges they want to go too. None of them have actually applied or been accepted to colleges yet; they're just thinking about them since their senior year is approaching soon. I've made some changes to that chapter and the other chapters if you want to re-read them. They're just small changes so it's nothing to worry about. I hope you enjoy the next two chapters! I'll update the next chapter sometime next week. Please review! : )**

**Chapter 6 – New Changes**

_"Where are you taking me?" Gabriella giggled as she followed Scott up a stairwell. When they reached the top, Gabriella's smile faded when she realized that she'd been here before. It was her and Troy's secret hideout. Troy only wanted her to know about it. She wasn't about to run the moment though._

_Scott sat down on the bench and gestured for her to join him. Gabriella sat down and smiled. "Last night was great. You're such an amazing girl and I want to have a shot at this. So I'm just going to say it," Gabriella held her breath, waiting for Scott to say the words that she's been wanting to hear. They were the words that would change the rest of her life with one answer. "Will you be my girlfriend?"_

What Gabriella said next would change her life. What if she said no? Where would that leave her and Scott? Would Scott accept her even if it was just as friends? Gabriella glanced at Scott's perfect features but couldn't tell. This was it.

"Yes, I'd love to be your girlfriend." She said softly. A perfect smile stretched across Scott's features as he picked her up and spun her around. When he set her back down onto the ground, his fingers brushed across her face and stopped to rest on her cheek. He leaned down and kissed her softly. He then took her hand and they walked hand-in-hand back to the halls.

Troy walked down the hallway to his locker. It was passing period which meant he only had five minutes to get his books for Calculus.

_Crap_. Troy muttered, shaking his brown hair out of his eyes. He glanced up and saw students whispering as he walked by. _What the hell?_ Troy thought. Could they be talking about him? His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. They couldn't be. He hasn't done anything wrong.

He shrugged it off when he reaches his locker. He opened it up and started digging around for his notebook and books for Calculus.

"Where the heck is my notebook?" Troy mumbled. To say he was having a bad day would be an understatement. It all just became worse when Chad came up to him.

"Hoops," Chad greeted when he reached Troy.

"Not now. I gotta get to class."

Chad looked at him before holding up his notebook.

"Thanks man." Troy took his notebook from Chad before shutting his locker.

"Yeah. So did you hear the big news?"

Troy glanced over at Chad. "What are you talking about?"

"The school's new "it" couple? Scott and Gabriella? They're now officially going out. According to Scott, he had asked her out on the rooftop garden, she said yes and now the entire basketball team won't shut up about it…"

Troy had already stopped listening to him. He could feel his heart breaking to a million pieces. She said yes to that jerk. Unbelievable. She was now falling in love with a complete liar.

"Hey, I gotta go." Troy mumbled as he walked away.

His life was officially screwed.

_Ring!_ The lunch bell rand as the hallways filled with students making their way to the lunch tables. Scott stood in the front of the snack bar line ordering food for himself and his new girlfriend. When Gabriella came up beside him, his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her to him. He then handed her a tray of food.

"Aw Scott, you didn't have to buy me lunch." She said sweetly.

"Well since you're my girlfriend now, I want to be the best boyfriend I've ever had." Scott bragged, leaning over to kiss her hair.

"Aw Scott, you're just so sweet. Where do we sit?" She glanced around at all the empty tables.

"We sit right here," Scott set his tray down at one of the middles tables near the East High Wildcat Wall. "And you sit right next to me." Scott set her tray next to his and then sat down.

Gabriella smiled as she sat down next to Scott. Her stomach growled as she stared down at her tray of food. She had a fish sandwich, fries, a cup of strawberries, Hansen Peach-flavored soda, and a chocolate brownie. Delicious. She picked up her fish sandwich and took a bite.

"Mmm. That's one great sandwich. You have to try this. Here." She took a piece off her sandwich and turned to Scott. She then fed him the piece and waited for his reaction.

"Mmm. That _is_ good. I should have gotten that." He glanced down at his hamburger. "But then again, I could just eat yours…" He teasingly reached over and tried to take her food.

"Oh no, you don't. That's my sandwich!" She tried to move her tray away from him but he started tickling her sides.

"Scott, stop it!" Gabriella squealed as she wiggled in his arms. She continued to laugh until he finally stopped and wrapped his arms around her waist. She titled her head back and smiled at him.

"I'm so happy we're together. It's been a while since I've had a girlfriend."

Gabriella brought her head back up and pulled herself out of his arms.

"What's wrong?" Scott asked.

"Nothing. I just…I need to know that you're going to be good to me. And that I'm not just going to be some girl that you're going to fool around with. Because if it turns into something like that, I'm breaking up with you. I have to be able to trust you, Scott."

Scott slid over and grabbed her hand. "Gabriella, I've changed and you know that. I don't want to be that guy anymore. I'm starting over for you." He brushed his fingers over hers and then kissed her.

Gabriella smiled and intertwined her fingers with his. Across from them, at the other table, Troy sat watching Scott sweet talk Gabriella what a pathetic idiot. He pushed his tray of food away before standing up and going to his locker. As he took some books out while shoving other ones in, he felt a light tap on his shoulder and turned to see a familiar blonde-haired girl with an overload of pink on her outfit.

"Sharpay, hi. What are you doing here?"

"Oh nothing. I just happened to be walking down the hallway and saw you here. Is everything ok?"

Troy grabbed the books for his next and closed his locker. " Everything's fine. I'm just frustrated I guess." He leaned against the locker.

Sharpay looked at him curiously. "Is it about Gabriella and Scott?"

"Yeah," He lifted his gaze to her. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just wondering," She paused. "Hey, we can hang out after school today and just talk if you want. My brother's usually never home until 6:30 and my parents until 7. So it'll just be me."

Troy considered this. There was no practice after school so hey, what the heck? It's not like anyone else is going to hang out with him. "Sure. I know my way to your house so I'll be over at around 4?"

Sharpay smiled. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll see you then."

"Yeah, you too," Troy started to walked away but then turned. "Hey, Sharpay?"

She turned. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for, you know, noticing."

She smiled. "You're welcome."

Troy then turned, shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked away just as the bell rang. As Sharpay turned the corner, a mischievous smile stretched across her face.

"Step 1: check. You're in for a huge surprise, Troy." Sharpay said to herself.

_Uh oh. _

"Scott, it's not funny! I was only seven years old and that was tough skateboard to figure out." Gabriella giggled, leaning into Scott as they walked up the street to her house.

Scott laughed again. "I'm sorry but falling of a skateboard even a few seconds after you got on. That's just classic. At least you were okay though. That's all that matters."

Gabriella giggled silently. "So what's your most embarrassing moment?" She stopped at the bottom of the pathway to her house and turned to Scott.

"I don't have one. See, I'm perfect." He smiled.

"Oh, right," Gabriella laughed. "Everyone has an embarrassing moment. I will get it out of you next time though." She stepped forward, closing the space between them, and kissed him on the lips. Scott pulled her closer, kissing her back. After a few more seconds, Gabriella finally broke the kiss and giggled softly. "Whoa. Slow down there, tiger." She stated.

"I'm sorry. I got a little ahead of myself there," He stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow." He kissed her hair before letting go.

"Okay. Bye Scott." Gabriella waved. Once he was out of sight, she glanced over at Troy's house. Troy was walking across the lawn and to his car that was parked in the driveway. Gabriella raised her eyebrow in curiosity when she noticed his different clothing. The black skinny jeans were new, same with the blue polo shirt and, what, sunglasses? What the heck? He never wore sunglasses. Gabriella made her way over to Troy's car just before he pulled out.

"Troy," Gabriella called.

Troy put the brakes on and pulled his sunglasses off. They were aviator glasses. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing, I'm just wondering where you're going."

He squinted his eyes in the sun. "I'm going to a friend's house."

"What friend?"

"Sharpay. We're just gonna talk, that's all."

Gabriella's spirits suddenly fell. So he'd rather talk to Sharpay rather than his best friend. "Oh, okay. Well I guess I'll see you later then." She backed away from the car.

Troy put the car in reverse, backed up, and then shifted to drive. "Yeah, see ya." He put on his aviator glasses and drove away. Once he knew he was out of sight from Gabriella, he stopped on the side of the road and reached into his glove compartment. Underneath some papers and a first aid kit, there were small colored packets. Condoms. Troy picked one up and looked at it. It was the one thing Troy never told Gabriella. He didn't need too. He only had them just to be safe. It made him feel guilty though. Guilty that he was hiding something from Gabriella. But she's hid secrets from him too, hasn't he? Troy sighed and shoved one in his back pocket. _Just to be safe._

He continued driving until he found Sharpay's house. After parking and turning the engine off, he sat there at the wheel.

"We're just here to talk." Troy said to himself. He took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. He walked up to the door and knocked. He was greeted by Sharpay who was now wearing a pink mini-skirt with white leggings and a pink tank top.

"Hi Troy. Come in." Sharpay greeted him with a grin. Troy stepped inside and looked around. Man, she had a nice house. Troy took a seat on the couch. A few seconds later, Sharpay sat down next to him and smiled.

"So Sharpay, why did you invite me over?"

Sharpay sat up a little straighter. "Because, now that Gabriella's out of the picture, maybe it's time that you explore your boundaries. " She slid her hand up Troy's chest and leaned in to kiss him. Troy didn't pull back; instead he relaxed into the kiss. He felt himself fall back onto the couch. His hand came up and rested on the back of Sharpay's neck as he kissed her again. Soon, however, he forced himself back to reality when he realized Sharpay's hands were trying to ease his shirt off.

"Sharpay, I can't," Troy pulled away and sat up. "I can't do this. This isn't right." He thought about Gabriella and winced.

"How isn't this right? I'm just trying to keep your mind off things." She straightened out her skirt.

"This is just making me think of more things. Things I'm not ready for and things that shouldn't be happening. I'm sorry, I just can't. I knew I shouldn't come here." He stood up and started towards the door. Sharpay stood up after him.

"If this has to do with Gabriella, she's in love with Scot. And believe me I know you have feelings for her. I see the way you look at her. She doesn't have those same feelings for you, Troy. She did at one point. Before the summer last year, all she talked about was you. She told me that if she could have you both ways – as a best friend and a boyfriend – that she would. But she's different now. She doesn't want to risk losing you as a best friend by telling you how she feels so she convinced herself to stop believing it. And eventually, she lost those feelings for you. She met Scott and now here we are. I'm just trying to be here for you."

Troy turned around and looked at her. "I know she doesn't want to be with me. I feel like I'm losing her. I appreciate what you're doing for me but I just can't do this. I'm sorry." He turned and opened the door. He glanced back one more time at Sharpay before closing the door.

Troy parked his car on the street of his house and got out. As he walked across the street, he could see Gabriella throwing out some old boxes. One of them caught his eye. Childhood memories. He jogged over to her.

"Gabriella, hey."

Gabriella looked up and smiled weakly. "Hey Troy. I was just throwing some things out and –"

"Why are you throwing away the box with things we did as kids? Those were special."

Gabriella looked at him. "Troy, this is all old stuff."

"Old stuff, huh?" Our friendship must be old stuff too now, right?"

Gabriella set the box down. "Troy, what has gotten into you lately? First, you're dressed in aviator sunglasses for Sharpay and now you're jumping down my throat about our friendship? Since when have you been so interested in Sharpay?"

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know. Sharpay's just trying to be a friend. You haven't been a friend since Scott came into the picture. And you know what? I don't need you anymore because I knew you were going to end up like this anyways." Troy suddenly stopped, regretting every word he just said. Gabriella took a step back like she had just been slapped in the face.

Troy stepped towards her and tried to apologize. "Gabriella, I didn't mean –"

Gabriella pushed him away. "Just stop, okay? Go away. I hate you." She tried to stop the tears from forming in her eyes but it was one use.

Troy looked at her. "C'mon. You know you don't mean that."

"Yes I do. I hate you, Troy. I hate you for doing this to me. You have no right to put that pressure on me. You need to accept the fact that I'm changing and you're changing. We're growing apart from each other and there's nothing we can do about it." She picked up the box and pushed it into Troy's hands. "Here. If you can make our friendship the same as the way it used to be before school started then let me know. I have to go." Gabriella ran up the steps and slammed the door closed.

Troy sighed and looked down at the box. For Gabriella to throw away a box that used to mean everything to her tells Troy that their friendship is breaking apart.

And Troy wasn't really sure he sure he could do anything to stop it now.

**A/N: Great chapter, huh? I hope you liked it. It had a good chunk of things that were changing so that's why I titled it New Changes. I have a question for you readers if you want to answer: Do you think Troy's more to blame for the weakening friendship with Gabriella or do you think Gabriella's more to blame? Explain why if you want too. Feel free to answer! : ) The next chapter will have more drama and something will happen to Gabriella. Since you all waited so nicely, I have the next chapter up. : ) Please review! Ly! More chapter updates will be soon! **

**-Alyssa**


	12. Slipping Away

Lovesick

*Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. I didn't plan on updating two chapters at first but then I realized that I didn't want to keep updating with just one chapter everytime so I took the time (and sorry it takes me forever to write a chapter. Haha) to write two chapters for you guys. This chapter is longer than my normal chapters but that's just because I put a lot in this chapter. So far, this chapter is one of my bests so I hope you guys like it. I love all the reviews you guys have for me but I would like some more. They encourage me to update a lot more so keep posting those reviews. One more thing; I'm sure you all know Charlie St. Cloud comes out here in a few days and I've just finished reading the book for the second time. It's an amazing book and it's inspired me to write a one-shot for the movie. Obviously I'll have to see the movie first before I work on the one-shot but I'm really considering a one-shot for Charlie St. Cloud. I'll let you know about that soon. Okay, enjoy my next chapter! Please review! Thanks! **

**Chapter 7 – Slipping Away**

Gabriella pulled the covers back on her bed and yawned softly. It had been two weeks since her and Troy had talked. Ever since their argument, Troy had been leaving her message after message apologizing to her about what he said. Gabriella avoided him and the conversation because she knew he was right. She had changed since she started dating Scott. Her sweet, loving attitude that she was well known for changed. She was becoming more rebellious, more ruthless. Taylor even noticed that she wasn't as friendly as she used to be. Gabriella just shrugged it off everytime. Just because she was now Scott's girlfriend doesn't mean that she's now some girl that no one recognized. She was still Gabriella, right?

She shook her head and got out of bed. She walked over to closet and opened it up. She needed something nice to wear for Scott. She went over to her dresses and flipped through them. She pulled out two casual dresses that just happened to be gifts Troy had bought her. She looked at the one in her right hand and then left hand. The dress in her right hand was purple and a little low cut at the chest. There were tiny rhinestones along the shoulders. It was a decent outfit. She then glanced at the one in her left hand. It was a more attention-grabbing dress. It was both green and white; the mini flowers scattered all along the dress were the green color. The top was more low-cut than the purple dress but she thought it was perfect. She put the purple dress back and set the green dress on the edge of her bed. After setting her green flats and white sweater with her outfit, she grabbed a towel and quickly got in the shower.

The few minutes later, Gabriela emerged for the bathroom with the towel wrapped around her body and dark curls still wet from the shower. She got dressed and the styled her hair. She decided to put her hair up in a messy bun since it went the best with everything else. She then washed her face and brushed her teeth. To top off her look, she applied some light foundation yo her face, some eye-liner around her eyes, light green eye shadow, black mascara, pink blush, and light red lipstick. She glanced in the mirror at herself. Perfect. It was 6:45 which meant she had 15 minutes until Scott would be here. She went over to her nightstand and checked her phone for messages. There were seven voicemails from Troy. Did he not understand that she wasn't in the mood? Gabriella sighed and deleted them. She smiled when she noticed a text from Scott.

-Hey sleepy head, time to wake up. I hope you had a good night's sleep last night. I sure did. I couldn't stop thinking about you. ;) I'll be over to pick you up a little bit earlier this morning because it'll give us more time alone. If you know what I mean. See you around 6:55.

Gabriella smiled at Scott's cute little wake up text and replied back.

-Okay. :) Btw, I had a wonderful night's sleep. Did you read my mind? Hehe. See you in a bit. 3

She closed her phone and tossed it in her bag for the day. She grabbed her books, sweater, and then headed downstairs. There was a note on the refrigerator for her. It was from her mom.

-Got called in early for work. Jury duty. I'll be home late tonight. There's leftovers in the fridge or you can order some pizza. Or if you're going to be over at Scott's then just make sure you something. And don't be out too late okay? Love you. Mom

Gabriella set the note down and went over to the window. It was 6:55. Scott should be here any minute. She grabbed her bag and went outside. The chilly air immediately hit her skin, making her shiver.

"Jeez, it's freezing out here." She mumbled, putting on her sweater. _Why am I wearing a dress?_ She thought.

A few minutes later, she saw Troy come outside and get in his car. As he slowly drove by, Gabriella tried her absolute hardest not to steal a glance at him but she just couldn't resist. She glanced up and their eyes met. She noticed his perfect brown hair, golden skin; his shaped muscles. She could have sworn the look in his eyes were different though. It was almost as if his blue eyes were showing that he was guilt about something. The only problem was that she didn't exactly know what he was guilty for.

The roaring of a car engine snapped Gabriella out of her thoughts. She looked over to see Scott parked by her mailbox. She walked over and got in. Once her seatbelt was on, she smiled over at Scott.

"Hey," Scott greeted her with a kiss. "Wow, you look great." He put the car in drive and started down the road.

"Thank you. I picked it out just for you." She gushed.

"Well I love. I might need to stay close to you in case those other seniors try to take you away from me." He teased. He reached over and linked his hand with hers.

She smiled. "I don't think they'll be able to get to me that easily."

"I hope not," He smiled and stopped at a stop light. "So are you still talking to Troy?"

Gabriella sighed and looked out the window. Was there a time when Scott _wasn't _asking her about him. "I don't know. If saying "hi" to him counts as talking, then yeah we are. Otherwise, no we're not. I don't know why our friendship has suddenly hit a bump in the road. I mean, he's talking to everyone else. Everyone else but me. So who knows what his problem is."

Scott glanced over at her. "Maybe it's because he's realizing that you're growing up and starting to grow apart from him. Gabriella, there isn't much you can do. He'll understand sooner or later." He ran his fingers over her knuckles.

She looked at him and smiled weakly. "I guess so. I just don't want the rest of our friendship to be like this. I need Troy in my life." She stared out the window again.

They pulled into the school parking lot at 7:05. Scott parked in the same spot he always parked: on the left side of the East High building.

"Come here," Scott said, pulling Gabriella into his lap.

"Scott, what are you doing?" She giggled. She landed in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"This," Scott leaned in and kissed her on the lips. He let his fingers roam her curls as his lips slowly moved to her neck and then her shoulder.

"Scott," Gabriella mumbled. She closed her eyes and shivered at his touch. This was all new to Gabriella; for she's never had someone touch her the way Scott was right now. Sure, they've had some make-out sessions before but each time she's let Scott touch her even more than before. She wanted this; she wanted him, but there were there always boundaries in a relationship. And right now with Scott's hand trying to get under her dress, she had to draw those boundaries.

She pulled away from him and took his hand in hers.

"I'm sorry but we can't do this. Especially not here and not now."

"I know. I'm sorry. I just don't know what else to do when I'm with you. I know it's been two weeks since we started dating but I've never felt this way about anyone. I just want to show how fast I've fallen for you." He ran his fingers through her hair.

"I know. We have to try to take this slow though." She let her head fall on his chest and sighed. The clock said 7:10 which meant they only had five minutes until they had to leave. Gabriella didn't want to let go of him so while there was still time, she pulled him closer and listened to the soft beat of his heart.

Troy stood by Sharpay's locker with his shoulder against the metal. After what happened with Sharpay, Troy had given it a lot of thought and decided to give her another chance. There wasn't anything wrong with being friends with benefits, right? The only problem was that 'friends with benefits' had trouble written all over it.

Troy stood up straighter when he saw Sharpay walking down the hall. To his surprise she wasn't wearing her usual pink outfit. She had on a light blue blouse, a black mini-skirt and blue high heels. He actually found her outfit sexy. Whoa, did he just say sexy?

Troy shook his head to get rid of his thoughts and saw Sharpay smiling up at him.

"Hey Troy," She cooed. She opened her locker, took her books out and closed it again. "You just couldn't resist huh?"

Troy blinked. "What? Oh yeah I guess. I was just here to make sure you understand the boundaries of our friendship. I can't exactly be friends with benefits, Sharpay. Okay? I didn't know what was going to happen last week with you and when it did, I realized that I had messed up. We can't be sneaking around like this. If someone catches us making out or even something more that that, they're going to talk. And then the whole school's eventually going to find out and they're going to assume we're dating. I can't have that happen," He paused and looked down. "And besides, I have a best friend who needs me right now. I promised her I'd be there for her."

"So you don't want Gabriella to think you're interested in someone else? You have feelings for her and think she'll notice if you push everyone away." She took a step towards him. "Let me ask you this then. If you know your best friend so well, why did I see her putting condoms in her bag when she and Scott left the car this morning? Still think Gabriella's interested in you?" She stepped passed him and walked away. Troy stood there, dumbfounded. How could Gabriella be thinking about sleeping with Scott already? They just started dating. Troy could feel anger boiling up inside. Scott was most likely convincing her to do things she'll regret later. He winced when he imagined Scott's hand roaming her skin. No way was he gonna let that happen. Not to her. Not to his best friend. Troy took a deep breath and then walked around the corner to his locker.

Little did he know that Gabriella had been listening to their entire conversation from the other corner. Gabriella knew one thing: Sharpay was a liar.

Troy walked into the gym a few minutes before gym class started so he could warm up. Chad, Zeke, and Jason were messing around on the court and of course Scott was there with Gabriella in his lap. Scott's hands were inching its way under her dress and Gabriella would giggle but let him do it again.

"Jerk," Troy muttered under his breath. He grabbed a basketball from the cart and shot a three-pointer. Chad caught it at the bottom of the net.

"Hey hoops, what's the plan? Are we hanging out or what? Even though it's Monday, we can set aside that studying for Calculus until tomorrow." He passed him the ball.

"I've already got my studying in. But dude, I'm having a party. My parents are gone all day. They won't be back until tomorrow morning."

"Nice. Party at the captain's tonight!" Chad turned to Zeke and Jason. He gave them all high fives.

Troy went to grab the basketball but then stopped. He couldn't forget about Gabriella. He turned to the bleachers and saw her giving Scott a goodbye hug.

"Gabriella," Troy called, jogging over to her.

"Oh hey Troy." She flashed a small smile.

"I'm having a party tonight. Do you want to come? I'm making the world's greatest hamburgers."

She smiled a little wider. "Yeah, sure." She glanced back at Scott. "Do you mind if I bring…"

"Yeah, I guess. Just tell him that there can't be any trouble. And no beer. Or the party's over."

" Okay, deal. I'll see you tonight. Thanks Troy." She smiled once more before going over to give Scott one last goodbye kiss.

"Okay guys," Troy announced. "Practice time."

Trouble at tonight's party was just waiting to happen.

Gabriella sat in Physics class, trying her best to concentrate for the next 45 minutes of class. All she could think about was Troy's conversation with Sharpay. Troy couldn't possibly be in love with her. He was her best friend. There was just no way.

She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a note to Taylor. She tossed it on her desk.

Taylor read it and turned around. "How do you know?" She mouthed.

"I heard him talking to Sharpay this morning. She was talking about Troy pushing everyone away so that I'd notice. Notice that he likes me? He can't like me."

Taylor shrugged and turned around in her seat.

What if Troy does like her? Is there any possible way that she felt the same way about him?

"I'll see you tonight, Scott." Gabriella giggled. She planted another kiss on his lips as she leaned into his car that was parked on the sidewalk.

"Okay. I'll see you tonight." He rolled up his window and then drove away.

Gabriella walked up the steps to her house and let herself in. She went upstairs, quickly changed into capris and a yellow blouse, and then re-applied her make-up. It wasn't anything fancy but it was nice enough for tonight's party. She plopped down on her bed and stared at the picture of her and Troy on her nightstand. It was taken last summer when they were in New York. They were both so happy then. Now it was like their friendship was slowly ceasing to exist. What changed? Honestly, it was her that had changed. If she never met Scott then she wouldn't be dating him. And if she wasn't dating him then she's still be Troy's best friend. Sometimes she wished Scott was never around and everything would be the way it used to be. But then again, even if Scott was never here, would that explain Sharpay and Troy? There was obviously something going on between the two and she would find out soon. She rolled over and stared at the ceiling. All she could do now was wait.

It was 7:45pm at the Bolton's. After checking in with his parents and lying about what his plans tonight were, Troy was feeling a little overwhelmed and most of all, guilty. Sure, he had lied to his parents before about these types of things but he was feeling guilty that he was keeping a big secret from Gabriella. He wanted so much to tell her that he had kissed Sharpay and that he might even have feelings for her. But he didn't. What he really wanted to tell her though was how much he's in love with her and how he only thought her and Scott dating in the first place was wrong because he wanted to be her boyfriend. Confessing his feelings to her was a dangerous decision he had to make sooner or later. But right now, with only 15 minutes until the party started, Troy chose later.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the front door open.

"Deliveries for the captain," Chad called as he brought in cases of soda along with pizza. Zeke and Jason came in with more pizza and placed it on the counter.

"Man, that's a lot of pizza. How many people are coming?" Troy asked, counting the number of boxes.

"I don't know. Zeke and Jason invited the people." Chad sat down on the couch.

"It looks like you're inviting the entire school. Damn."

"Hey man, chill. It's a party. Just relax." Chad got up and slapped Troy on the shoulder.

Troy shook his head. "I don't know. I guess I'm just worried." He jumped up onto the counter to sit.

"Dude, please don't tell me you're worried about Gabriella and Scott. Hello, you're gonna be under the same roof as them. It's not like you're gonna let them do anything."

"Scott's coming and you know he's gonna invite his senior friends. Eventually I'm gonna to have to deal with the beer that they bring into the house. I told Gabriella to tell him I don't want it my house but who knows if she even listens to me anymore."

"Just make sure Gabriella doesn't get a hold of it. Because you know that Scott can get girls to do what he wants with a snap of a finger. It's never good."

"Yeah." Troy would make sure Gabriella was in his sight the entire time. What if she isn't though?

By 9pm, the entire Bolton house was packed with juniors and seniors. Jones Fisher, one of the seniors and fellow friend of Troy, was up at the music system playing "Tik Tok". Just like Troy had guessed, there were Scott's friends opening cans of beer and passing them out to everyone. Others were either on the floor dancing, doing who knows what in the bedrooms, or outside hanging out by the pool. Troy's parents told Troy that no one was allowed near the pool while they were gone but he's sure that someone was going to break that rule too. Troy needed to get this party under control. He pushed his way through the crowd of people and over to the foosball table where Chad, Taylor, Zeke, Jason, Kelsi and Martha were hanging out.

"Hey Taylor, have you seen Gabriella? I need to find her." Troy said, over the loud music.

She shrugged. "The last place I saw her was on the couch with Scott. She might still be there but I don't know for sure."

Before Troy could answer, Sharpay came up with a cup in her hand.

"Hey Troy," She slurred. "Do you want to go somewhere with me?" She grabbed onto his shirt for balance.

"Sharpay, you're drunk. You need to go get some fresh air." He pulled her hands away from his chest.

"But Troy, we were having some fun."

"Sharpay, stop okay? Whatever we had going on between us is over okay? You need to calm down. Let me see that." He took the cup of beer out of her hands and put it on the counter. He then made his way through the crowd again and searched for Gabriella. He finally found her in Scott's lap on one of the arms of the chairs. She had an empty cup in her hand and was laughing a little bit more than usual. Then Troy realized why. She's been drinking. All night he had kept a close eye on her and now she's Scott. And she's drunk. She was slipping away too fast for Troy. He went over to the chair and took the cup out of her hand.

"What are you doing?" Troy asked.

"Hey, I was drinking that. I'm fine; really." She slurred slightly.

"No, you're not fine. You're drunk. Did Scott give this to you?"

"Hey Bolton. Chill okay? It's just a little beer." Scot interrupted.

Troy laughed sarcastically. "It's just a little beer. I'm not having her drink this. Gabriella, come on. You need to get some air." He grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

Gabriella out her hand to her head. "Oh mi God, I don't feel so good. I need to go outside." She said as she slightly stumbled to find the door. She opened the sliding glass door and stepped outside into the cool night. She went to sit down in an empty chair but then she bumped into Sharpay. She could feel her headache starting to subside and the anger setting in.

"Sharpay, what the hell is wrong with you? You've been telling Troy lies. I heard you talking to him this morning."

"All I did was told him the truth since he obviously couldn't handle it from you."

"You're such a liar. Me and Scott haven't even thought about sleeping together yet. I can't believe you'd tell him that we are."

"I only said you had condoms."

"And who doesn't? You're just jealous."

"Me? Jealous? Not even close. I guess little miss perfect isn't so perfect anymore."

Gabriella pushed her. "Don't say that to me."

Sharpay almost stumbled backwards but caught herself. She pushed Gabriella back. "Don't touch me."

Before Gabriella could stop herself from falling from the effect of the push and the heavy weight in her head, she slipped backwards. The next thing she knew she was gasping her air. She could feel her head pounding at such a force that she couldn't concentrate on swimming to the surface. All she could feel was the pounding of her head, her heart, and her eyes slipping closed as she lost consciousness.

The second Troy heard the splashing of the pool, he quickly ran to the back door to see what was going on. Everyone was crowding around the pool so Troy pushed his way through.

"I told you guys not to mess around by the…" Troy suddenly froze when he saw someone at the bottom of the pool. "Oh mi God." He immediately dived into the pool. He swam to bottom, put his arms around Gabriella and then swam to the surface.

"Move, move," Troy said as he laid her down on the ground. He put his head to her chest and checked to make sure she was breathing.

"She's okay but she's unconscious." He put his lips to her mouth and blew. Her lips were so cold against his. This was not a time to be fantasizing about giving Gabriella CPR. He put both hands on her chest and pushed down.

He checked her breathing again. "Come on, Gabriella." He tried again.

"Come on, please." Troy pleaded.

He tried once more. "Wake up for me, Brie."

He couldn't lose her like this. Not now. Not ever.

Gabriella's heart pounded softly as she regained consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes and stared into that familiar pair of ocean blue eyes.

"What…what happened?" She struggled, coughing. She tried to sit up but then Troy wrapped his arms around her and picked her up.

"It's okay. I'm gonna get you home." He turned to Chad. "Make sure everyone leaves, please." Chad nodded and went inside.

Troy walked past Scott.

"Gabriella, are you okay?"

"She's fine. Now get out of my house." Troy spat. He walked to the gate, grabbed his Wildcat jacket on the nearby chair, walked out the gate and onto the sidewalk.

It cold out and Gabriella was probably freezing so Troy wrapped his jacket around her. He looked down and saw that she had fallen asleep. He smiled at the way her features always seemed so peaceful whenever she slept. It was a shame that Scott was taking even the most precious things away from her.

Troy finally reached her house and walked up the steps. He reached under a flower pot that was sitting near the door and found the extra key. He unlocked the door and the quietly stepped inside. He walked up the stairs to her room. It was dark inside so Troy turned on her light. He walked over to her bed and laid her down. He then pulled the covers up to her and got up. He was about to leave when he heard Gabriella stir softly and call his name.

"Troy…" She opened her eyes.

He walked over to her bed and bent down on her knees. "Hey."

"Troy…I'm sorry about what happened. I was so scared…thank you for saving me. I don't…I don't know what I would do without you."

"Hey, hey. It's okay. It wasn't your fault. I'm just glad you're okay. I'll see you in the morning okay?" He brushed a curl from her face.

"Mkay." Her eyes slowly closed shut again.

Troy made sure she was asleep and then got up. He looked back at her one more time before closing the door softly. Troy knew he had promised to be there for Gabriella. Now, he wasn't so sure he could keep that promise much longer.

**A/N: That was a pretty good chapter huh? I thought it was a good chapter to go with the previous one. I hope you all enjoyed it! That was a very long chapter but it was definitely worth it. I have a few questions just fun for this chapter if you want to answer. Do you think it's right for Troy to push aside his mixed emotions with Gabriella every time he comes to save her from Scott? Do you think that it's time for him to back down? And why do you think that Gabriella is constantly letting Scott convince her to do things she doesn't want to do? Do you think she's really changing or is it just doing it for Scott's pleasure? Feel free to answer. I'd love to hear her answers. : ) Please review these two chapters okay? I'll update again soon! Ly! **

**xoxo, Alyssa**


	13. Stress & Self Control

Lovesick

*Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter! I hope you liked the two chapters I updated a while ago. I know I liked them. :) I'm very sorry my updates haven't been as frequent like I said they would be but I really am trying to make that work. I just need to adjust to it. Give me a few more weeks or so and hopefully my updates should come more often. My goal is to get the next chapter up by the end of this week. For real this time. Please read and review! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not associated with High School Musical. **

**Chapter 8 – Stress & Self Control**

The morning after parties, especially on school nights were always hard. Gabriella had woken up with a major headache that quickly reminded her of what had happened last night. She was dealing with her first hangover. It wasn't as bad as she thought but it was still something. She found some comfortable jeans and a nice blouse for school. After getting ready and eating breakfast, she hurried out the door with the hopes of avoiding questions from her mom. Last night Troy, of course, had stayed with her until he was sure it was okay to leave and then had told her mom about what happened. Damn him for doing that. Ugh, she was perfectly fine. She wasn't three years old.

She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts. She got in her black Audi and pulled out of the driveway. She started to feel a little woozy. She took some deep breaths quickly so that she wouldn't lose concentration. The last thing she needed was to end up in a car crash.

A few minutes later, Gabriella arrived in the school parking lot. She parked her car turned off the engine and collected all her thought s together. She glanced in the mirror and for the first time she couldn't recognize who she was. She had noticeable bags under her eyes and her hair was thrown in a messy bun. She wasn't supposed to look this. She was supposed to be a sweet, beautiful girl. But she was starting to feel like that part of her was slowly starting to disappear.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she grabbed her bag and stepped out of the car. After locking up, she made her way up the sidewalk. The halls of the school were quiet as Gabriella walked to her locker. She could only hear her own footsteps and an occasional locker closing shut. Gabriella's mind wandered to the time when she and Troy would come to school early in the morning and play hide and go seek around the school. They were freshmen then. She remembered the look on his face when she would always find the places he would hide but he never found hers. Confusion would dance across his features as she struggled unsuccessfully to contain her laughter. She loved the way they had been then. And what about now? Their friendship was on the edge of becoming broken. It scared Gabriella to admit it but it was true. Very true.

Her mind wandered to Troy many times before she found her locker. She opened it up and looked for her binder.

"Damn it," she muttered. She sucked in a breath when she realized what she had said. She was really changing.

She was so into finding her stupid binder that she didn't noticed Troy had stopped at her locker. When she turned, she nearly jumped.

"Jeez Troy," she slightly fell back into the locker. What are you doing here?"

"Well I saw that you had come to school early and was wondering why. Is everything okay?" He leaned against the locker.

Gabriella pushed the curls out of her face. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've just got this throbbing headache…" She trailed off.

"I'm sorry. Why are you at school then?"

"Because I have a Physics test third period today. I can't miss it."

Troy nodded. "I see. Well I hope my company makes you feel as least somewhat better."

She smiled. "It does. Thank you Troy." She looked at him curiously. "Troy, can I ask you something?"

He met her gaze. "Sure. What is it?"

"Do you feel as close to me as you did before Scott and I started dating?"

"Well sometimes. I mean it's hard to tell now. You're with me one minute and then the next you're not. Our friendship has changed and I'm scared, Gabriella. I want us to be okay. I just don't know how to fix it."

Gabriella looked down. "I know, Troy. I'm scared too. If I could break up with Scot in a heartbeat I would. But it's not that easy. Even though that the main problem that's preventing us from being together, I have to give Scott a chance. I really do like him.

"I know. I'm trying very hard to accept him as your boyfriend but I just can't. I can't get myself to do it. I'll try though. For you." He took her hand.

Gabriella felt her heart almost burst at the kind words he had just said. She noticed that he was still holding her hand and gently pulled it away. Did she just let him hold her hand?

She cleared her throat. "So, I guess I'd better go. Scott will probably be here soon." She gathered up her books and then closed her locker.

"Okay. I'll see you later then."

"Okay," She turned to leave but then turned around. "Hey Troy?"

Troy turned. "Yeah?"

"Thank you for saving me last night. I don't know what I would of done if you weren't there."

He smiled. "You're welcome. Take it easy okay? I'll see you."

She smiled back. "I'll try. See you later." With that, she turned and walked to her boyfriend's locker.

"Babe, are you excited for next week?" Scott asked. Scott and Gabriella were sitting on the couch in Gabriella's living room, working on homework.

Gabriella looked up at him, confused. "Next week? What's next week?"

"Our one-month anniversary. You forget already?"

Gabriella's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my gosh, it's next week! I totally forgot! Gosh, I'm really sorry. I've been so busy with school and everything." She set her books aside.

Scott sighed. "If you're too busy next week, we can celebrate another week." He ran his hands through her hair.

"No, it's okay. I just don't know what to get you. Anniversaries have to be special."

"You don't have to get me anything. I just want you." He smirked.

"We are not getting into this. We haven't even been together for a month yet. And besides, I'm not ready."

"I know. I'm sorry I said it."

Gabriella sighed. They sat there for a few minutes before Scott stood up. "I have to go. I have practice in an hour."

Gabriella stretched and then stood up. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then. Maybe I'll call you later though." She leaned up and kissed him on the lips. When she pulled back, she could see that there was some frustration on his face.

"What's wrong?" She put her hand on his neck.

"Nothing." He pulled the curls away from her face.

"Scott, what I just saw wasn't nothing. Tell me what it is."

"Gabriella, it's nothing. Really. I'm just tired."

Gabriella slighting flinched at the way he replied but then quickly pushed it aside. There was no use pushing the situation any further. "Okay," She sighed. "I'll let you go then. I'll talk to you later." She kissed him softly on the cheek.

Scott gave her a small smile before turning and leaving. As Gabriella saw him walk away, further from her, she started to feel like yet another person in her life was beginning to slip away.

The Wildcats' basketball team had practice everyday that started at 4:30pm and ended at 7:30pm. It was 3 hours of torture. They had to do warm-ups, 100 full-courts suicides, 5 sets of 15 lay-ups, and many other exercises that were insanely hard to get through. Mr. Bolton was cracking down on the team because they had to get focused for the playoffs that would be coming up. They would be playing their rival West High. The two rivals were constantly avenging the other. West high has a 3-1 lead. East High only has a 2-2 streak. That meant that the Wildcats had to be prepared for the playoffs. More specifically, Troy had to be prepared because as the team captain, the team was counting on him to lead them to victory. But there were just so many distractions…

Troy snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of a basketball hitting the wooden gym floor. He pushed himself off the bleachers and went over to grab a basketball from the cage.

"Hoops. Ready for practice? Those suicides made me pull a leg muscle." Chad set the basketball on the ground and started to stretch.

"Dude, tell me about it. My dad is just trying to get us focused for the playoffs in November. You know how he is around this time."

"Yeah I've noticed."

Troy took the basketball and dribbled it up to the basket. He shot a right-handed lay-up but it bounced off the backboard. "Damn it," He muttered. He really needed to focus.

Coach Bolton came out of the locker room and blew the whistle. "Alright guys, on the right side of the court. 150 suicides. Full-court. Yesterday's practice wasn't good enough so you're gonna do 50 extra. Let's go."

The whole team groaned and muttered under their breath. They had a long practice ahead of them.

The basketball team had spent possibly the hardest practice of their lives doing lay-ups, suicides, dribbling, passing, blocking, and on and on. To say that was the hardest 3 hours of their lives would be an understatement.

Troy sat down on the benches in the locker room and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was exhausted. A few lockers down, Scott was talking to some of the other guys from the team. They walked by and stopped at some lockers a few feet away from him. Troy couldn't help but hear what Scott was talking about.

"…Well but that's the thing. Now that I'm dating Gabriella, I can finally get laid." Scott bragged.

Troy's hands immediately curled into fists. That was it.

Troy stood up and walked over to Scott. "What did you just say?" Troy demanded angrily.

"Oh what did I say? I said I'm going to get laid. By your best friend." Scott smirked.

Before Scott even had time to react, Troy lunged at him, slamming him into the lockers behind him. Scott pushed Troy off him. He brought his fist back and then punched Troy in the eye. A sharp pain hit Troy's eye as he stumbled back. Chad saw what was happening and held the two back before they got to each other again.

"Hey, hey. Break it up. Troy, what the hell man?" Chad pulled him away from Scott.

Troy glared at Scott. "If you hurt her, I swear I'll make you sorry you ever dated her."

Scott put his hands up. "Whatever Bolton. You know, maybe it's not me that wants to get laid. Talk to my girlfriend." He turned and walked out of the locker room.

Troy stood, trying to get himself together. Why couldn't he though?

Looks like someone needs some self-control.

Later that night, Gabriella was working on her Physics homework in her bedroom when her mom came to the door.

"Gabriella, Troy is here to talk to you. He's downstairs."

Gabriella got off her bed and went downstairs.

"Hey…" Gabriella stopped and her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, Troy! What happened to your eye?" She came up and brushed her fingers across the blackish-purple under his right eye.

He flinched at the pain. "I got, um, hit in my eye with a basketball." He mumbled.

She looked at him. "Now Troy Bolton, that's a lie. I know you better than that. Seriously what happened?"

"I got in a fight with Scott."

"Troy. Why?"

"Because he said he wanted to get laid."

"He what?"

"He wants to get laid. By you."

"What? That's ridiculous! Scott would never say something like that."

"Well he did. Or I never would have attacked him like that and gotten a black eye."

"Troy…you didn't have to defend me like that. But I'm glad you did."

Troy smiled. "You're lucky I didn't give him the black eye."

"He would have deserved it. Trust me." She grinned.

Troy smiled back. He would never get tired of seeing her brown eyes sparkle when she was with him. She was just so…perfect.

He quickly pushed his thoughts aside.

Gabriella came over and wrapped her arms around his waist. She then laid her head against his chest, right next his beating heart. "I really miss you Troy." She murmured.

Troy held her close, breathing in her vanilla scent. What would life be like if she were his girlfriend? Life would be amazing. "I miss you too."

After a few more seconds, she pulled back and looked at him. "Why are you here anyways?" Her nose scrunched up in curiosity. He loved that about her.

"What I can't see my own best friend?" He teased.

"See, I know you too well to believe that. Well that it's the _whole_ truth." She poked him in the stomach.

He laughed. "I'm actually here because I wanted to talk to your mom."

"Why?"

"I just have to ask her something."

"About what?"

"About something coming up with my mom that she might want to talk to her about."

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing, Gabriella. It's just an event coming up."

She looked at him seriously. "Oh. Okay then," She tore her eyes away from his. "I'm gonna go shower. Thanks for stopping by."

He nodded and looked down. He had never lied to her before. "I'll see you at school."

"Okay. Bye Troy." She waved before walking up the steps.

Troy waited until he was sure she closed her bedroom door before walking into the kitchen. Mrs. Montez was cleaning off the countertops. She looked up and smiled when she saw Troy.

"Oh hi Troy. I didn't think you were staying."

"I'm not. I, uh, wanted to talk to you about Gabriella," He paused, thinking over what he was going to say. "I'm really worried about her."

Mrs. Montez set the rag that was in her hand down on the counter. "I am too. I've noticed all these changes in her lately that I don't like. She's being exposed to alcohol, I'm finding birth control pills in her drawers, and she's over at her boyfriend's house all the time. Her grades are starting to slip Troy and I don't know what to do."

Troy thought about what she had just said. He had no idea that all of this was going on. "Mrs. Montez, I think it's Scott. He's not the best person in the world for her to be attracted too. It's my fault that she's doing this. I'm not protecting her enough. She thinks we're falling apart, which we are, but she doesn't want to fix it. She wants to do this for Scott to impress him because she thinks he loves her. I know him and I can tell you that he doesn't."

"I know Troy. But maybe it's Gabriella too. Maybe she is changing but not because of Scott. I'm pretty sure that's not the case but who knows. She doesn't even talk to me as much anymore."

Troy looked down. Even though he didn't want to believe it, she was right. Gabriella might just be the one who's changing. "I'm sorry that you've been going though all of this. You know, since your husband passed away."

Mrs. Montez looked as if she was about to cry. "Oh Troy, it's okay. I'm getting through it. You're such a wonderful person. I can't believe my own daughter chose to be with School and not you. I told her she'd regret her decision sooner or later."

Troy looked up. "Wait, she wanted to be with me? Like as a couple?"

"Oops. I think I've said too much already." She smiled. "Troy, she's in love with you. I've tried to get her to admit it a million times but she refuses to believe it. And she promised that she'd never admit it to you for the sake of your friendship but I'm sure you can see it even if no one said anything."

Troy stood there, completely full of mixed emotions. Love. Hurt. Betrayal. Happiness. Hope. Gabriella was in love with him.

"I, uh, don't really know what to say. I think I should go home and think about all of it. Thank you Mrs. Montez. I really appreciate it."

She smiled. "You're certainly welcome. Hey Troy?"

Troy looked at her.

"Don't stop believing in your hope for her love. She would drop everything just to hear you say that you love her. She just doesn't know what she has standing in front of her. She'll realize it sooner or later. Just give it some time."

He gave her a small smile. "Thanks. I won't let anything happen to her."

"I know you won't. You never do."

With that, Troy turned and left. For the first time, he started to feel like everything was going to turn out okay. If it didn't, well, he'd deal with it when he got there.

_Just give it some time._ Mrs. Montez's words repeated in his head as he walked home.

It was the first day that Troy fell even more in love with her. Secretly of course.

**A/N: Pretty good chapter huh? I really liked it. :D I will try my very best to get the next chapter up as soon as I can (it's been a year since I first started this story; I'm very busy). I have a three-day weekend so I'm hoping to be able to work on the next chapter on my day off. xD Just a little hint: the next chapter will be mainly about Troy and Gabriella. There might be a little bit of fluff so you'll have to wait and see. :) Please, please review! I love everyone who reviews so please review more! Be back soon! :D**

**-Alyssa**


	14. Just You & Just Us

*Lovesick

Chapter 9

**A/N: Alright, here's the next chapter! So sorry for the delay; I know I had said I would get it up this Monday but I was kind of lazy that day. Hehe. I think you guys will like this chapter a lot. :) Thank you so much for all the readers I have. I have 29! That's amazing. You guys are seriously the best. This is what makes me continue writing fanfiction. Enjoy and please review! **

Chapter 9 – Just You and Just Us

Gabriella had exactly 10 days to get an anniversary gift together for Scott. It was going to be their first anniversary. To say Gabriella was a little nervous would be an understatement. What she would be getting him, she had no idea. She did know, though, that she needed a break. Today, school was out because they were doing teacher-prep classes for new teachers. As Gabriella was getting dressed that morning, she had made the decision to spend the day with Troy No Scott, just her and Troy. She hasn't been nice enough to even give Troy an hour of her time so she was going to make up for how selfish she had been.

After calling Scott and telling him that she was feeling a little tired and wanted to stay home, she got her things together and went to Troy's house. When she got there, she was that the back door to his house was open. She walked to the back and saw Troy in jeans and a white t-shirt. He was at his tool shed, tinkering with the tools. When he looked and saw her, he smiled.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" He set his tools down.

"I'm just here to kidnap you. C'mon. You're spending the entire day with me."

Troy looked at her curiously. "Is this a joke or do you really mean it?"

"Mmm, do I look like I'm lying?"

"Kind of."

"Ouch. Hey, I'm still your best friend." She teased.

He smiled; glad to see her smiling at his jokes again. "Okay, let me just get some stuff together and then I'll be out."

Gabriella smiled. She had a feeling today was going to be a good day.

Troy and Gabriella arrived at the park in the early afternoon. Troy had picked sandwiches, chips, and Gabriella's favorite snack: chocolate-covered strawberries. No one knew how to make her chocolate-covered strawberries better than Troy. He had set out a blanket and their food in the grass. They sat elbow to elbow on the blanket.

"You know," Gabriella said. "No one will ever make these better than you. These are the best."

Troy smiled, taking a bite of one of his strawberries. "If I told you how I made them taste so good, you'd probably reveal it to the world."

She smiled. "Probably," She set her food aside. "So how have you been?"

"Good. Me and basketball; not so much. My dad's practically trying to kill us in basketball practice."

"Aren't playoffs like a while from now?"

"Yup. He acts like it's happening tomorrow."

"Well, you'll get through it. You always do."

Troy nodded. "What about you?"

"Mmm, it's okay. I should have been looking for an anniversary gift for Scott but I didn't. It's just been too much right now."

"I understand. How are you and your mom doing? The other day she seemed kind of upset."

"Things are fine I guess. She's still a little shocked about what happened last week but she's get over it. What did you talk to her about?"

"Nothing." He mumbled. "It was nothing important."

She looked at him curiously. "Troy, you know if there's ever anything you need to talk about, I'm here."

"Yeah, I know." He sighed. "So what made you decide to want to hang out with me?" Usually this never happens that much anymore." He tossed another strawberry in his mouth.

"That's the point. We never get to hang out anymore and I hate it. I wish we could just run away and not have to deal with all the stress anymore, you know."

Troy smiled. "We could, you know."

She giggled. "Yeah like it'd be that easy."

He looked at her. "You know I remember that time when I was think 12 years old, you were 11 and we went to Sharpay's birthday party and played Truth or Dare. I know you remember that."

Gabriella felt herself starting to blush. "Oh mi gosh Troy! Why'd you remind me about that."

Troy smirked. He knew exactly what had happened at that party 7 years ago…

_Best friends, Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Ryan, Sharpay, Taylor, Martha, Jason, Kelsi and Zeke all sat around the dining room table waiting to play one of their favorite games: Truth or Dare. Every year, Sharpay played this game with everyone for her birthday. Her parents were always in the other room so it was the perfect time to take advantage of the opportunity. _

_Sharpay looked at Zeke first. "Zeke, you start first."_

"_Okay," He looked around the table. "Chad: Truth or Dare?"_

"_Truth."_

_Zeke thought for a second. "Do you have a crush on someone in this room?"_

_Across from Chad, Taylor's cheeks turned bright pink. "Yes I do."_

_Zeke smirked. "Who?"_

"_Dude, you can't ask another question!"_

"_Fine."_

"_Even though everyone knows who it is." Troy muttered under his breath. _

_Chad glared at him. "Dude, shut up! Everyone knows who you have a crush on too!"_

_Taylor elbowed Gabriella who blushed furiously._

"_Troy, truth of dare?"_

_Crap. He thought. He didn't want to choose truth because he knew exactly what he was going to ask but a dare would just be worse. "Um, dare." He could feel his heart beating against his chest._

"_I dare you…to kiss Gabriella."_

_All eyes flew to Gabriella who froze._

"_Chad, come on. You know I can't do that."_

"_You said dare. Double dare. You can't change it or you owe me another Shaquille O' Neal basketball card. The collector's one."_

"_I hate you, I hope you know that." He stood up and slowly walked over to Gabriella's side. He sighed. "Gabriella, let's just do this and get it over with. Jeez, I don't even know what to do." He looked at her and could see her screaming inside. He was doing the same exact thing. He slowly leaned in towards her and closed his eyes. He felts her lips connect with his for a second; but what seemed like an entire minutes. He pulled back quickly and looked down. Gabriella was blushing furiously as the rest of their friends looked at them in shock. None of them thought they were really going to do it. They just had their first kiss as best friends. From then on, everything for them was different…_

"I remember that. I almost killed Chad for doing that."

Gabriella giggled. "At least it was just a dare."

"Yeah." Troy knew it meant so much more though.

"Troy, do you have a crush on anyone? I've never asked you that before."

He looked at her. "Yeah, kind of."

She sat up, curious. "Really, who is it?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not? I'm your best friend."

"It's not that, I just can't tell because I don't even know if I really like her anymore."

She frowned. "Aww well can you give me some hints then?"

He looked down. "Well she goes to our school and she's in most of our classes."

"Hmm, okay. What else?"

"Well sometimes we talk a lot and other times we don't. She has the most amazing brown eyes."

"Oh, I got it! Is it Melanie?"

Troy thought of Melanie Truman, the cute, sweet, but at times stuck-up cheerleader in their homeroom. "No. She flirts way too much."

She giggled. "It was a guess. Do I know her?"

"Maybe."

"Come on. Really?"

"Okay, okay. Sometimes she hangs out with Sharpay."

Gabriella thought about all of Sharpay's friends. "I can't think of anyone that you talk too that hangs out with Sharpay. Does she know how you feel about her?"

"It's hard to tell. She's a super nice person and I can't help but smile every time she looks at me. Everytime I want to tell her how I feel, something keeps holding me back. It's like I can't tell her the truth because I'm afraid of the answer. I want a chance with her but I don't think it's going to work out."

She looked at him for the first time. He was really in love with whoever this girl was. Gabriella couldn't seem to realize that this girl he was talking about was sitting right next to him. "Well hopefully things will work out. I'm clueless as to who this secret crush is. Tell me," She took his cell phone that was lying on the blanket. "Or I call Chad and tell him that you said he could tell me." She got up and ran from him.

"Oh no you don't." Troy got up and started chasing her. He grabbed her and playfully wrestled her to the ground.

"Is it always going to be like this?" He taunted, tickling her sides. Gabriella couldn't stop the giggles that poured out of her mouth as she wiggled around behind him.

"Okay," She breathed, trying to plead her case. "I'll give it back."

Troy stopped and looked down at her. It took both of them a second to realize that they were on the ground; Troy straddling her waist. "So, my phone."

She smiled at him. He was so perfect. She took in his light tan skin, the curve of his biceps, the tinted shadows of his face, and his perfect blue eyes. Gabriella got lost in them for what seemed like an eternity. The awkwardness finally set in for the two of them. Gabriella swore he was about to kiss her right there. She mentally kicked herself. What was she thinking? "Here," She handed him back his phone. "I will find out though."

Troy pushed himself off the ground so Gabriella could get up. "That wasn't funny." He mumbled.

She glanced at him and smirked. "Yes it was. You looked really panicked for a second there."

He smiled. She always had a way to get him to crack a smile. "Just wait," He popped another grape into his mouth. "Payback's hell."

Her eyes widened at his words. "Troy! What has gotten into you?"

He laughed. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

She playfully slapped his on the arm. The two spent the rest of the day with each other. Gabriella got about 50 missed calls from Scott but she didn't care. The only person she cared about right now was Troy. And that's how it would be for as long as she was alive.

The stars were coming out when Gabriella stopped at Troy's house. She parked at the sidewalk and turned off the ignition. She sighed and then turned to him. "Troy, I've never had this much fun since last summer. Thank you. I really appreciate it."

He returned a smile. "I had a bunch of fun. It beats working on a truck all day," He opened the door and slide out of the car. "I'll see you Brie. Thanks again."

She didn't reply. She stepped out of the car and walked to his side. She came to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry I just really missed you Troy. I'm so glad we spent this day together." She mumbled into his chest.

Troy smiled and let his hands fall to her back. He breathed in her vanilla scent for the tenth time that night. She felt warm against him, all heat and light vanilla. He pulled her closer than he had ever done before. Neither one of them pulled away, for they didn't want this moment to end because of the fear that they would lose each other if they did. "I won't go anywhere without you, Brie. I promise."

That was a promise he would never forget.

**(A/N: Aww cute chapter right? I loved this one. There was finally some Troyella fluff like I had said before and now it's time to get to the real stuff. There will be more Scott and Gabriella, just a heads up. The next chapter is going to be about their 1-month anniversary. I should get it up quicker this time because I have a 4-day weekend coming up : ) I hope you guys love my story even more! Please review, like always. Toodles! **

**-xoxo, Alyssa**


	15. Anniversary

*Lovesick

Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello everyone! It's been so long since I've updated. I'm sorry. I had to figure out a lot of things for my story and the direction I want it to go. Don't worry; this story isn't going anywhere because I know a lot of you like it. From now on I'm going to update when I can. I'm always so busy with school. Please don't give up on me because there's going to be a lot coming up in these next few chapters. Here is chapter 10. Please read & review, as always. You guys are the best. Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 10 – Anniversary

Gabriella woke up on a quiet October morning with a smile on her face. It was her and Scott's 1-month anniversary. The entire week she was very nervous and also excited for today. It was her first anniversary ever. She had spent all day yesterday searching for a perfect gift for Scott. She knew it didn't need to be perfect but she just couldn't help it. She knew he was going to like it but then again, what if he didn't? It was just so hard to tell sometimes.

After getting up and taking a shower, Gabriella stood in her closet with a towel wrapped around her body. She pulled one of her favorite outfits off of a hanger. The outfit consisted of a long sleeved teal and black tunic, black stirrup leggings, and black heel boots. It was perfect for today. She got dressed and fixed her hair. After getting the rest of her things together, Gabriella was about to leave when she heard a knock on her door.

She walked over to the door and opened it. She looked around, frowning. She didn't see anyone. At her feet, though, was a small present with a card underneath it. She picked it up and smiled. Of course, it was from Scott. She opened the letter first. His handwriting filled a small piece of paper. It was always so perfect.

'_Happy anniversary babe! I hope you love my present. I know it's a bit tacky but trust me, that's not all I have for you today. Today is about you and me okay? And sorry, the place we're going to tonight is a surprise. See you in a few._

_Love, Scott'_

She rolled her eyes at his sense of humor before picking up the present. Inside was a golden box. She opened it up and her eyes grew wide as she pulled out the most beautiful bracelet she'd ever seen. There was absolutely nothing tacky about it. It was a gorgeous crystal flower cuff, consisting of a marquise link chain with two large flowers in the middle. There was also a purple jet attached and peach crystal accents. Gabriella stared at it in awe, wondering how much money it had to have been. It had to be at least 30 dollars. Either way, it was beautiful. She put it on her wrist and looked at it. Perfect.

"He gave you that? Dang before you know it, he's gonna show up on your doorstep saying he's the father of your baby." Taylor snickered as she looked at Gabriella's bracelet. They were on their way to the lockers to get their things for the day. Gabriella glared at her. "He is _not_ going to do that. Scott's a gentlemen."

Taylor laughed. "Yeah. Sure he is. Where is he anyways?"

Gabriella looked around. "I don't know. Maybe he's just late." They turned the corner and suddenly, Gabriella couldn't believe her eyes. "Oh mi gosh."

At her locker was a bouquet of flowers taped to her locker along with hearts. Standing next to it was Scott.

"Happy anniversary, Gaby." Scott beamed.

She smiled and walked over to him. "You did this for me?" She hugged him.

"Well yeah. What other way would I do our anniversary?" He kissed her on the cheek.

"This is so sweet," She took the flowers from the lockers. "What time is dinner tonight?"

"Seven. I'll pick you up."

"Okay. Thank you. This is the best anniversary already."

"And it's gonna get better." He pulled her closer.

She laughed. "I can't wait," She leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips. "I gotta go now. I'll meet you at lunch?"

"Yeah." He smiled.

"See you then." She beamed and then gaited down the hall.

It was going to be an anniversary to remember.

"…I'll tell you guys everything tomorrow." Gabriella replied to Taylor and Kelsi as she closed the door to the science lab. As she rounded the corner, she ran smack into Troy.

"Shit. Brie. I'm so sorry." Troy staggered back.

Gabriella caught herself before she nearly fell back. "Oh Troy. No, it's okay." She giggled. "You seem like you're in a hurry."

Troy smirked. "Oh yeah. Basketball practice. I'm late again."

"Figures. I gotta get home so I can get ready for dinner with Scott."

"Oh yeah tonight's the big night huh? Congratulations."

"Thanks. Honestly, I'm more nervous than I am excited."

"I'm sure everything will be fine." He assured her. "Just be careful okay? I know he's been good to you but just watch out for yourself."

"Troy, I promise I will. It's just dinner and spending time together. Nothing more. But thanks for being concerned. I gotta go. I'll talk to you later. Bye Troy." She smiled and gently and squeezed his shoulder before walking down the hall.

Troy turned and looked after her, smiling. That smile quickly faded and became a frown. He felt his heart sink as he thought about her. He wished that tonight he was the one she was so nervous to be with. That he was the one that gave her butterflies in her stomach. The one she was falling in love with. Although, Mrs. Montez told him that Gabriella was in love with him, if it were true, Troy would just be living in a dream that wouldn't be coming true.

"Mom, I promise I won't do anything you wouldn't want me to do. And no, I am _not_ sleeping with him. Not for a long time." Gabriella explained. She was in the bathroom applying some more makeup to her face.

"I'm just letting you know, that's all. If you need protection, I have some. Don't be afraid to ask."

Gabriella groaned. "Ugh, mom. Is this really necessary? I don't need any. We're having dinner and then we're going to spend time with each other. That's it. Please, you don't have to worry." She grabbed her purse. "Scott should be here any minute."

Maria looked at her daughter and smiled. "You look beautiful, hija."

Gabriella looked in the mirror one more time and nearly surprised herself at the way she looked. Gone was the 17-year-old girl, young and naïve; instead there was a 17-year-old teenager, still young but just more grown up. More sophisticated. Her hair fell to her shoulders in dark, wavy curls. Her strapless love tease dress was a beautiful shade of purple and gold, made of satin and black glittery stamped flowers. She looked absolutely flawless. "Thanks mom."

A honk of a car horn outside broke the silence.

"That's Scott." She grabbed her purse, put on her black heels and walked downstairs.

"Have fun. Don't be too late."

Gabriella turned and smiled. "I won't. Bye mom." She closed the door behind her, leaving behind the girl that once loved the company of her mom. She was growing up.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Gabriella asked, holding onto Scott's arm so she wouldn't lose her balance.

Scott led her into a room lit with candles. "Okay, you can open."

Gabriella smiled widely. "Scott, this is amazing."

The family room of his house contained lit candles placed everywhere, a blanket set on the ground with two plates, a small pan, a basket of bread, and a rose.

He led her over to the blanket and let her sit down. He sat down next to her.

"This is so sweet," She looked at the food in the pan. "Oh mi gosh, you even made me pasta."

"Happy anniversary."

She leaned in and kissed him. "Happy anniversary."

He took her empty plate and put a bread roll and pasta on the plate. "This is for you."

She couldn't stop smiling. "This looks so delicious."

"Hopefully it tastes as good as it looks."

She giggled. "I'm sure it's great." She took a small forkful and ate it. "This is _so_ good, Scott!"

"So it's not poisonous then?" He winked.

"No, it's great. You should become a chef." She took another bite.

"I'd become a chef just for you." He smiled, winking again.

Gabriella blushed. She was on cloud nine right now. She never wanted to come down.

They continued to eat while immersing in conversation. The whole time Gabriella knew Scott hadn't taken his eyes off her.

"You look so beautiful, Gabriella." He admitted.

She blushed. "You look handsome yourself," She set her food aside. "This totally beats going to a fancy restaurant. I love it."

"I'm glad you do. It's the closest thing I could get to perfect." He moved closer to her and intertwined her hand with his.

"It is perfect." She gushed, leaning in to kiss his soft lips again. "Oh, I have you anniversary gift." She grabbed her purse and dug around for a tiny box. She pulled out a small blue box and handed it to him. "It's not the best gift in the world."

Scott opened it up and pulled out a dog tag necklace. Engraved on it were the initials "_G.M._" On the back, there was a small note that said, _'Now wherever you go, you'll always think of me. Love, Gaby'_. "It's perfect. Thank you." He kissed her on the cheek. "I have something else for you." He pulled a black box out of his pocket.

"Another gift? You didn't have to do all of this, really."

He handed it to her. "Open it. You'll like it."

She opened the box and pulled out a stunning black Betsey Johnson necklace. It had three chains with a spider charm in the middle; like a spider in a web. There was also a crystal accent heart, a black rose and purple beads with goldtone hearts. "Wow, Scott. This is incredible."

"Here. I'll put it on for you." He brushed her hair to the side and put on her necklace.

She brushed her fingers across the necklace. "You know, you're spoiling me too much."

He smiled and brushed her hair away from her face. "That's what boyfriends are supposed to do." He kissed her lightly on the cheek, and then moved to her lips. When he pulled back, she was smiling at him.

"How, in just one month, have you managed to make me feel the way I do right now?" She ran her fingers through his blonde hair.

"I don't know. You've made me fall hard for you Gabriella."

"I don't know either but I love it." She kissed him, sweetly but passionately, this time not pulling back. Scott pulled her to him and deepened the kiss. He kissed her lips, cheek, nose, and forehead. He pushed her back so that his body was hovering over hers. He kissed her bare shoulder, making her shiver. Gabriella could feel her stomach twisting one million times. She could feel Scott's hand begin to roam her back, to her thigh, pulling the dress up. Suddenly, she mentally shook herself out of the daze she was in.

_If we don't stop, this won't be good. I don't have protection. _She pulled back.

"Scott, stop. No more." She pleaded. He kissed her again.

"Just a little bit longer." He mumbled into her skin. His weight seemed to keep pushing her down.

Gabriella panicked, understanding what this could turn into if she didn't do something. She couldn't breathe. "Dammit, Scott. Stop!" She pushed him off of her. There were tears in her eyes.

"Damn Gaby. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it." He reached for her but she moved away.

"Don't," She got up and straightened her dress. "I told you to stop. What the hell happened to boundaries, Scott?" Her voice shook.

"I'm sorry. I thought we were just having fun."

She stared at him. She couldn't believe him. "Having fun? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She grabbed her purse. "I have to go. I can't do this."

"Gabriella, wait." He pleaded. He reached for her hand but she jerked it away.

"Just take me home, please." She demanded. She didn't look at him. Not after what he had just tried to do.

Scott dropped her off and then left without anything. Gabriella walked to the house on the left of hers and stopped. It was the one house she knew inside out and backwards. The garage light was on. "Troy?" She whimpered.

Troy's figure illuminated under the light. When she saw him, she about fell to pieces. He was the one person she didn't think she would ever miss seeing. "Brie. Hey." He stepped out of the light and over to her. When he saw her, his heart nearly broke to pieces. "Jeez, what happened to you?" He cupped her face in his hands. "Hey, talk to me. What's wrong?"

Tears felt like raindrops. "I'm okay. It's just Scott. He…" She whispered.

"He what? What did he do to you? Did he hurt you?"

"No, he…he tried something on me. We were just kissing and then he wouldn't stop. I told him to stop twice and then finally he did but…I was so scared he wasn't going too, Troy."

Troy wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay. I got you." He held her for a few moments and then pulled back. He wiped her tears away with his thumb. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine."

"Okay. Do you want me to walk you?"

She shook her head. She didn't want to be anywhere but here. "Just hold me please." She pressed her head against his chest. The heat from his body seemed to magnetize her to him. Like a warm fire.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her. For the first time, he wouldn't let go until she told him too. He just wanted to be there for her, just like best friends were supposed to do.

**A/N: Any thoughts on the chapter? I liked this chapter because you guys got to see the way Troy feels about Gabriella. He makes his feelings known to her but of course she doesn't see it because she wants her relationship with Scott to be real. It's far from real. You'll see that coming up soon in later chapters. You'll also see how Gabriella starts to change after the anniversary, and it's not good. Next chapter is going to focus on Maria's relationship with Gabriella. I want to focus on Gabriella's relationship with her mother because her mother really cares about her. She's going to tell her a story about when she was in high school and I think you're going to find it both touching and also sad. So stay tuned. :) Also, if you go to my profile (this is the first time I've done this) I'll have links to what Gabriella's school outfit looked like, the bracelet and necklace Scott gave to her, and the dress she wore for their anniversary. They're quite cute. Check them out. Goodbye for now. I will be back to update soon. Review please!**

**-xoxo Alyssa**


	16. Like Mother, Like Daughter

*Lovesick

Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey readers! It's been so long since I last updated and I'm sorry about that. I just got really busy with school so I haven't able update for a while. I'm going to make it up to you though! Here's chapter 11! I hope you all like it!**** The story Gabriella's mom tells at the end is a quite lengthy. I just didn't want to forget any details so bear with me. I will update possibly two more chapters this week or next week for sure. Remember to review! Your reviews are what motivate me to continue writing! Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 11 – Like Mother, Like Daughter

"What a jerk!" Taylor exclaimed. Gabriella rolled her eyes for the third time, not wanting to hear Taylor's lecture about Scott again. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened last night. Scott tried something on her…again. It was odd because she couldn't quite place her finger on the reason why he did, since he had promised to take it slow. He thought of it, however, began to worry her. What were his intentions, exactly? Gabriella shook her head at this. Every couple deals with this.

The school hallways were crowded, of course. Taylor and Gabriella reached their locked and stopped. "It's no big deal, Tay. I mean, we were caught up in the moment and it just happened. I'm sure he didn't mean it." Gabriella turned the dial on her lock and opened it. She grabbed her books for the day and the closed her locker. "Look, he's called me like 50 times already telling me that he's sorry. It sounds to me like he really didn't mean for it to happen."

Taylor sighed. "Well, I sure hope so. I gotta go but I'll see you in homeroom." She turned and walked down the hall.

Gabriella remained by her locker, her shoulder leaning against it. _I sure hope so_. Taylor's words echoed in her head. Did Taylor know something she didn't? She shook her head vigorously. "Everything's fine." She mumbled. She sure hoped so.

After suffering through not only French class but Physics class with both Troy and Scott's angry remarks towards one another, Gabriella was beginning to lose it. Her frustration only increased when she spent the entire lunch being lectured by Taylor about the consequences of being in a relationship with bad boys while practically driving herself crazy whenever she saw Scott laughing with those stupid cheerleaders. Now, in homeroom, she was nearly ripping her hair out because Ms. Darbus just would not shut up. _What has gotten into that woman? _She thought to herself. Sighing, she pulled her phone almost all the way out of her purse and checked for any new messages. There were about three more from Scott. _Sorry about last night. Hope you forgive me. Why haven't you talked to me yet? _She stopped there. It was all she could do to not laugh at the last text. She was _not _the one avoiding him. She scrolled down, shaking her head in disbelief. Finally, she stopped scrolling when she reached an unread message from Troy. He had sent it this morning. How could she have missed it?

_What Scott did was wrong and I need you to understand that. It's taken just about all of my control not to go and teach that jerk a lesson about respect but I know you'd kill me for doing that. Just know that I am and always will be there for you, Brie. If you need me, I'm just a call away. :-)_

She couldn't stop smiling. That text practically made her day. Well the rest of it at least.

She was about to reply but realized they were in class. She tucked her phone away in her purse glanced up at Troy, who was sitting at the second desk to the right, in the front row. He looked just as bored as she was. Her mind wandered back to last night, when she was in his arms. She realized how calm he had been in that moment and wondered if it was just because she needed him or if there was something more. The way he had held her; his arms wrapped around her like a blanket, was so similar to the way Scott held her sometimes. She always thought Troy's feelings for her never ran deeper than just as a friend but could she be wrong? Was there something more? She shook her head furiously. There was no way that was true. She knew that if it were true, things would have been different years ago. Besides, she only saw him as nothing more than a friend. She blushed when she realized Troy was smiling at her and she wasn't even paying attention. She smiled back at him, feeling like a fool. She then turned her attention back to Ms. Darbus, who was now telling the class about the upcoming Halloween dance.

"…The Halloween dance is coming up rather quickly and our Halloween dance committee, organized by none other than Taylor McKessie and Gabriella Montez, are making sure that this year's dance is better than ever. Would either of you like to say anything?"

Taylor stood up and went to the front of the room. "Well tickets will be on sale next week so don't forget to buy one. At this dance, we will be crowning a prince and princess for each grade and will have nominees next week as well." She smiled and went back to her seat.

"Lovely, thank you. Okay class we're going to talk about homeroom requirements to be aware of so there is a paper going around for each of you…"

_There she goes again. _Gabriella thought to herself.

Another 20 minutes to go.

"…So I think three nominees for each grade is good enough right? And to make it interesting we won't have 3 couples in order. We'll mix them all up so it doesn't seem so obvious. We'll have three boys on one side and three girls on the other. It'll be like this for each grade and then people can just vote from there." Taylor explained to Gabriella and the rest of the dance committee. It was four p.m. that day and they were having a meeting about the Halloween dance. They planned to discuss the decorations after sorting out the voting.

"So you want 'random boy, random girl'? Gabriella inquired.

"Yes, but it'd be more like 'Scott Turner, Chelsea White." Taylor smirked.

_Ugh, that stupid cheerleader that hooks up with a new guy ever day_. Gabriella rolled her eyes. Yeah, right."

Taylor smirked again, seeing her reaction. Her eyes glanced over to the door and suddenly she frowned. "Well it looks like we have a visitor."

Gabriella turned and frowned when she saw Scott making his way across the room. She quickly picked up a box of flyers and stood up. "I'll take these to Jane." She walked over and smiled at Jane, who was at a small table organizing tickets. She smiled at Jane, giving her the box. She was trying to avoid him now; not because she didn't want to talk to him but because him trying to confront her now was just ridiculous. She made her way back to Taylor but was cut off when Scott stepped in front of her.

"Just give me one minute, please." Scott pleaded.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine."

"I'm so sorry about what I did last night and you have every right to hate me. I got ahead of myself. I thought we were just making out but then I just forgot about our boundaries. I was caught up in the moment. I truly am sorry Gabriella."

She thought about this. "How can I trust you?"

"Because I don't want to risk hurting our relationship again. You know I care about you."

She grinned. He got her with those hazel eyes; just like he did everytime she was mad at him. She couldn't help herself. "I care about you too," She took his hand. "I just want this relationship to work."

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Don't worry it will." He leaned in and kissed her.

She pulled back, smiling. "Well I have to get back to the meeting but maybe I can call you later?"

He broke away from her. "Absolutely. I'll see you."

Gabriella smiled as she watched Scott walk across the room with his hands shoved in his pockets and then out the door. Things were definitely okay now.

Gabriella let out a sigh of relief as she walked into the front door of her house after what seemed like a long, stressful day. Right now, homework could wait. She needed to relax. She set her bag down on the kitchen table and plopped down in a chair. Her mom came in, smiling.

"Hey mija, how was your day?"

"Good/frustrating. But also decent."

"Wow, sounds like a busy day."

"It was, believe me." She got up and walked to the island in the kitchen to grab a cookie. As she took a bite, her eyes moved to a medium-sized book sitting next to the plate of cookies. Weird, she'd never seen that book before. She picked it up and read the writing in bold letters: 'My teenage years'. She opened up the book and saw a picture of her mom; young, beautiful, and wearing white, standing with a young man who was wearing gray. She'd never seen this man before. She flipped through the pages, seeing pictures of her mom again, this time with friends. There were more pictures of her with that mysterious man. Who was he? She flipped another page and something caught her eye. The top of the page was titled: 'The year of 1985: the year I lost you'. Confused, she read the captions and her eyes suddenly widened. Her mom had been pregnant. "Mom, what is this?" She asked. Page after page there were pictures of her mom and the mystery guy, pictures of her at parties…

"What's what?" Her mom came in, glancing over Gabriella's shoulder. She smiled. "Ah, you've found the book."

Gabriella looked at her. "What are these pictures? And how have I never seen them before?" She asked. "And how," She flipped back to the page that had caught her attention moments ago. "did I never know you were pregnant?"

"Gabriella, slow down I knew you would ask all these questions. Come here; sit down and I'll explain everything."

Gabriella followed her mom to the couch and sat down. She sighed, out of things to say. "Okay, talk."

"First, I want you to know that before I met your dad, I was in love with someone else. He's the guy you keep seeing in those pictures. His name was Adam Davis."

"Okay, so what happened between you two?"

Her mom took a deep breath and began her story. "In 1984, the year I turned 15, I fell in love for the first time. I met Adam at one of my friend's summer party before the start of out sophomore year. I remember how cool he would act around his friends. He was a smart and very popular guy that all the girls threw themselves at him. I saw something special in him though. At that party I talked to him and found him to be one of the nicest, sweetest guys I've ever met, but the only problem was that he had a well-known reputation. Of course, I didn't care. By the time school started we were inseparable. We went everywhere together. We walked to class together, ate lunch together, even studied together. We told everything we were just friends because at the time we were. Around October, he asked me out. Of course, I said yes. I felt like I was head-over-heels in love with Adam. Everyone thought that we wouldn't last long or that all he cared about was getting a reputation as the bad boy. I knew though that they were wrong. He just wasn't that type of guy,"

Gabriella was looking at her mom more clearly now. She was just like her.

"In December, right before winter break, we promised each other that we would make our relationship work in whatever way that was necessary. We didn't want to lose each other because we cared about one another too much. Over the break, I thought a lot about sexual decisions that would eventually be made sooner or later, and so I decided that I wanted my first time to be with him. I told him that I didn't want to wait because it was the only thing that would prove our love for each other. I also told him that I wanted it to be special, especially for me. We agreed that Valentine's Day would be the day. It was perfect. I celebrated my 16th birthday that month and remembered him giving me a beautiful diamond necklace. At that point I knew he had to of loved me because he was making my life so special. A few days before the planned night, Adam kept asking me if I was ready and that we could wait. I told him I couldn't be more ready. On Valentine's, he took me out to dinner and bought me dessert. We went to the park and saw the stars. Then, that night, it finally happened. We made love and it was the most amazing night of my life. Afterwards, he told me loved me,"

"From then on, we were closer than ever. I felt like everything in my life was perfect. I didn't know until the end of February when I started feeling sick in the morning. I told Adam what was going on and he told me that he didn't use protection because he thought the birth control pill was enough. When he said that to me, I felt like my world fell apart. I didn't want to be pregnant, especially at my age. He said we would figure out how to deal with it. I thought he was someone else. He didn't care about me. He actually wanted to get me to agree to an abortion before our parents found out. It was ridiculous. I thought hard about what this pregnancy would mean for the rest of my future and decided to keep it. He got mad at me and chose to leave me on my own. I was better off without him because I could make my own decisions. March went by and I knew I couldn't hide the truth anymore. I began to tell the doctor, my parents, and then my friends. People talked about me and made up stupid rumors. My parents were there to support me but my friends weren't. They thought I was only desperate for attention."

"What happened to the baby?" Gabriella finally asked.

"Around May, I was beginning to have really rough nights. I was under a lot of stress with school work and test prep. One day, though, I woke up with a miscarriage. The doctors said I had undergone too much stress. I was a nervous wreck. Adam showed up when I was in the hospital to see me and apologized for everything he did. I didn't forgive him. He hurt me when he left me."

Gabriella was speechless. Her heart ached for her mom. She wished she could go back and change all the times she ignored her mom when she as telling her the right things. "Mom…I had no idea. I can't imagine how hard that must have been for you."

"It was. Gabriella, you're the most important thing in my life and I only want the best for you. The reason why I didn't tell you all this was because I didn't want you to know how hard my life had been. You seem happy with Scott and I'm glad. Sometimes, thought, your first love might not turn out the way you wanted it too. It wasn't until I met your dad that I started to turn my life around. Your dad was like my best friend. He listened to everything I said and he was always there for me."

Gabriella smiled. "I really like Scott and I know that he's changed. He's better now and he really cares about me. I've never felt this way about a boy before."

"I know, sweetheart. I just think you're missing the one person that made you who you are today. Troy. Look I know he's just your best friend but I can see it in his eyes that he cares about you a lot more than you think."

Gabriella creased her eyebrows. "You're not saying that he likes me are you? I've known him since like kindergarten."

"That's not what I'm saying. I think you should get to know him better. Who knows, one day you might find something in him that you didn't even know was there. Maybe you'll even find something special in yourself." Maria stood up.

"Think about it okay?"

"Yeah," Gabriella stood up. "I love you mom." She leaned over and hugged her.

"I love you too mija."

Gabriella was really listening this time. She was listening to her heart and while her feelings for Scott were blocked out, for the first time she actually believed that there could be something more to her friendship with Troy. Something as crazy as love.

**A/N: Did you like it? Nice chapter, I thought. Please give me your thoughts in the reviews! I would greatly appreciate it! Just a little side note: earlier in my story I had said that Scott is captain of the varsity football team. That should be corrected to member of the varsity basketball team. My bad. ****I will be back ASAP! Possibly 2 more good chapters to come in the next two weeks! Stay tuned. :)**

**-xoxo, Alyssa**


	17. Author's Note Important!

**Important Author's Note:** Hey guys! It's been so long and I'm super sorry I haven't updated at all. I just want you to know that I haven't given up on this story. I'm trying to get back into updating frequently. I'm graduating from high school in 2 days so I'm really stoked that high school will be done and over with. I can get back into writing all summer; I get a longer summer this year ;) I'm not sure when I'll have an update BUT I'm going to work on the next chapter tonight! I hope to have it up at the end of this week or early next week. I hope you guys haven't given up on this story because it'll be getting better! Love ya guys, thanks for all your support! I really appreciate it!

-Alyssa


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